When Love Comes Softly
by Watcher of the Hearts
Summary: When Katara ends up stranded from the group, an unexpected hero comes to her aid. Old rivalries start to die and new loves begin to bloom. How will this affect everyone's lives?
1. Chapter 1 The Storm

_Alright.. so.. this is my first fanfic on here… I hope you all enjoy!_

_**2011 EDIT: Please note edits and revisions. It's been a long time since I've revisited this story… but I've noticed how much attention it still gets and that when I wrote this so long ago, I had left many errors in it! I'm glad to say my writing has indeed improved (as has my editing as I no longer use an editor but my own sweet self haha) soo….here ya go!*_

**P.S…I DON'T OWN AVATAR…but ooohhh. If I did lol**

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**Chapter 1 – The Storm**

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The storm pounded on mercilessly as the water tribe warrior boy attempted to steer the waterlogged bison through the stormy skies. Lightning flashed and was quickly followed by a clap of thunder so loud that it shook the bison and his passengers.

"Sokka! We've got to land!"

"I know! I've been trying to find land for the past hour! It's impossible to see anything two feet in front of your own face!" Sokka turned his head from the reins looking at his sister Katara, along with their other friends, Aang the Avatar, and Toph, the blind earth bending master and the most recent addition to their team. Katara nodded, knowing he was right. For the past few hours they had been flying over pure ocean, it wasn't until dusk that a storm started rolling in, reaching its peak an hour earlier.

"Try flying above the clouds again…" Aang chimed in; he was cut off by a large clap of thunder. Sokka looked to him,

"Is it worth even trying it? Last time we almost got hit by lightning! And I don't know about you, but I prefer _not_ looking like a piece of fried meat!" Aang looked a bit taken aback as he shrugged lightly.

"Well try to find some land, Appa can't fly like this much longer."

"Don't you think that's what I've been doing? If you think it's so easy to steer a 10 ton bison in a storm like this then _you_ get up here and do it!"

"He's only trying to help Sokka." Katara defended.

"Well maybe I will!" Aang talked over her as he walked to Appa's head. Sokka huffed, half

tossing the reins at Aang. Katara sighed, shaking her head.

"Men…"

"Are you sure you even wanna call them that?" Toph joked. Katara looked to her and smiled, chuckling.

"You're right." The girls continued to watch the fight go on between Sokka and Aang. Katara stood up, ready to break it up when a large bolt of lightning struck down in front of them. It all happened so quickly; Appa roared loudly as he swerved, just missing the bolt, the whole group yelled loudly, and a high-pitched scream was barely heard over the thunder cracking. Aang dove out to the edge of the saddle.

"Katara!" He reached out for her but she was falling fast. Toph and Sokka looked toward Aang, Toph feeling helpless that none of her element was around. Sokka attempted to steer Appa downwards, seeing Aang getting his glider reader to fly out and save Katara. He was just about to jump off when another bolt of lightning just barely missed them, the thunder shaking their bones. Appa spooked and swerved to the side, throwing Aang fall back into Toph.

"Hey! Watch it!" She pushed him off roughly and he looked to her embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Sorry."

"And I thought you were light on your feet Twinkle-Toes."

"Hey! Will you two stop flirting for two seconds? We've got bigger problems!" Aang and Toph nodded, ignoring the flirting comment. Appa moaned loudly, wanting nothing more than to get out of this storm and into someplace dry and warm.

"Gah! Let's go!" Sokka steered Appa downwards so that they could scan the ocean.

Meanwhile, Katara's heart raced as she fell. She swooped her arms around, trying to use the water to slow her down. She continued to fall, and her heart continued to pound. She looked around fearfully, a slight whimper escaping her lips. She was being deceived by her own element. Her body finally made contact with water after what felt like hours of falling. With a large splash she fell into the ocean, her body screaming at the freezing temperature. She looked around hopelessly.

"_How am I going to get out of this? Sokka… Aang… anybody…"_


	2. Chapter 2 Conscience

_**2011: Edits and revisions have been applied. Hope you all still enjoy  
_

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**Chapter 2 - Conscience  
**

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Katara looked around fretfully. She could see nothing in the dark night as the waves bashed her around violently. In her mind she was already saying goodbye to all those that she cared for.

"Sokka…I know we've fought, but that's just what siblings do, I've always loved you. And Aang.. Aang.." She stopped, thinking about her dear friend. He had always seemed to like her, but how did she feel about him? Now that she thought about it; really thought about it, she had been feeling something between them for quite some time now. She sighed a bit, sniffling, as the warm tears she had begun to cry ran down her face.

"Take care of each other guys, every one of you. Toph, don't give up on Aang, he's strong….Everyone, just, don't ever give up on each other, stay a strong team, like we've always been. I-I love you all." She felt the tears continue to run down her face as struggled in the water, fighting as hard as she could to stay afloat when a large wave caught her off guard, knocking her under. She came back up, coughing on the salty water. It burned her eyes and throat and made it hard for her to breathe. She looked around hopelessly; knowing that the waves were too wild to push her toward any sort of shore.

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Katara didn't know how long she had been in the ocean for, but it had seemed like hours. Her body eventually became numb to the cold water and she had eventually just come to using bending to keep her head above water as the waves moved her around. The storm had calmed down to a light rain; the soft rumble of thunder could still be heard echoing from the distance. There was a sudden bright flash of lightning and in the distance she saw a shadow of what she thought was land. She shook her head,

"No, it's just my mind playing tricks…" there was another flash of lightning and she saw it again, it was definitely land. She yelled happily and began using water bending to help propel herself forward. Something had given her the newfound hope to survive and push forward. She kept going; struggling against the waves, but finally came closer to shore. It wasn't long before she began swimming, her spirit renewed with the promise of land. Her whole body screamed in pain but she pushed through it. She had been out in the water for so long struggling to stay above the water that she was exhausted and her rush to swim to shore made it even worse. Her lungs screamed, feeling like they were going to burst.

She finally made it to the shore and half walked half crawled, stumbling her way up the beach as she coughed out the salt water that had invaded its way into her lungs, burning her throat and nose. She kept going on; something inside of her yelled for her to keep going, to survive. She stumbled up the beach toward the trees that had grouped together in the center to form a forest.

"_I just need to find shelter… just shelter. Then I can rest" _Katara thought to herself as she stumbled on. She made it to the opening of the trees just as the rain picked back up and she stumbled, tripping over her own feet and fell to the ground, exhausted. She tried to get back up, but exhaustion consumed her and she fell back down, blacking out.

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On another side of the island, two men sat inside a cave around a small fire. The older man with a rather pudgy stomach drank a cup of tea while the younger man sat back, his eyes closed.

"Something is troubling you Prince Zuko…" the older man said as he sipped his tea. The young man shook his head, speaking softly.

"No…"

"I find that hard to believe. You are only this quiet when there is something on your mind." Zuko sighed, sitting up. Since the incident with Azula back in the abandoned town, he had gained a new respect for his uncle. He stood up.

"I'm going for a walk."

"In this weather?"

"We need more firewood anyway." He stood up and walked off. Iroh looked to the wall across from him, a small pile of wood already there. He sighed as he shook his head.

"A boy his age should not have to carry such burdens of an adult, and yet he has known more than I had before I was married." Iroh said to no one in particular.

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Outside, Zuko walked on through the pouring rain, not caring how cold it was. He didn't know just how long he had walked for, but it had to have been for a good amount of time because he found that he had come to another shore. He had walked all the way to the other end of the island. He had known it was a small island, but this small? He walked along, not really looking where he was going in the darkness. Suddenly, he tripped over something, and fell forward, landing in the sand on his knees. He turned his head, looking through the darkness to see what he had tripped over; it had been too soft to be a rock or log. That's when he saw her; the waterbender girl. She was soaked to the bone; her clothes and hair clung to her, and she shivered violently. She had obviously been caught in the storm. He looked to her, sneering. If she was here then that stupid brother of hers and that new girl in green and…and the Avatar must have been there too! But wait…he stopped himself from reaching out to grab her arm and wake her up. Why would she be lying out here, on the beach, by herself, in this condition, if they were here as well? Something about this just wasn't right. He stood up, shaking his head, and went to walk away before a voice in the back of his head popped in.

"And just what do you think you're doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm walking away." Zuko answered himself.

"And leave that girl all by herself?" the voice sneered.

"She's a water peasant."

"She's still a person."

"She's just a stupid girl."

"…exactly…" the voice replied.

"What do you mean by that?"

"She's a girl…you can't leave her out all by herself like this in her condition. Just what would your mother say?" Zuko stopped dead in his tracks. The voice was right…if there was one thing his mother had always shown him, had always taught him, it had been respect and kindness. And despite all that had happened, he always carried those lessons, and his mother's memories, with him. He huffed angrily and turned around, walking back over to Katara, muttering as he went.

"Stupid conscience." He crouched down and picked her up, carrying her half-heartedly back through the woods and toward the cave.


	3. Chapter 3 Safe For Now

_YAY! I'm updating! Lol. Sorry about the wait. I got UBER busy with the holiday weekend and other things. If the chapter seems a bit short, I apologize. I just wanted to get out a next chapter to keep everyone interested lol. Well…onto Chapter 3!_

_Enjoy! _

_**2011 edits and revisions have been applied**_

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**Chapter 3 – Safe For Now**

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Iroh looked over to the cave entrance, hearing soft footfalls. He saw the shadow of his nephew, carrying what looked like another person. He stood up and walked over,

"Zuko, what happened?" He helped Zuko to the lit area of the cave and looked to the girl he held in his arms.

"It's that water tribe peasant. I found her alone on the beach."

"Where are her companions?"

"I think she's alone." Zuko said quietly. Iroh gave a glum nod and unrolled the extra sleeping bag they had with them.

"Here, lay her on this." Iroh said and Zuko walked over, gently laying Katara down. He stood back up, giving a slight sneer toward her. Iroh covered her up, feeling her forehead.

"It's a good thing you found her when you did Zuko. She has a terrible fever. She probably got caught in the storm." Zuko sat back down sighing. Iroh shook his head as he watched Katara.

"Poor girl" He grabbed a canteen and poured some of the cold water on a cloth. He squeezed out the excess water and placed it gently on her forehead. Katara continued to shiver, beads of sweat running down her face. Iroh looked to Zuko, to see him rubbing his ankle, groaning lightly.

"Is something the matter Zuko?" Zuko shook his head.

"I twisted my ankle when I tripped over that stupid peasant girl." He sighed angrily, rubbing his ankle. Iroh walked over, and sat across from his nephew, gently picking up his foot and resting it on his lap. Zuko begrudgingly complied, trying not to show any signs of pain. Iroh slipped off Zuko's boot as carefully as he could, hearing Zuko take in sharp breaths of pain. Iroh examined the ankle, trying his best not to cause his nephew anymore pain.

"Well, it's not broken… just sprained. A few days rest and you will be as good as new."

"A few days rest! Uncle, we cannot afford a few days rest! We need to keep moving!"

"Zuko, think about it. We have this island all to ourselves; no one knows we are here. Besides, we would not get very far with the girl in her condition."

"Can't we just leave her here and go on our way?"

"Zuko…" Iroh gave his nephew a look of disapproval. "You know that we could not do that." Zuko crossed his arms, pouting stubbornly. Iroh took out a roll of bandage and began to wrap Zuko's ankle. Zuko tried as best as he could to hold in the yelps of pain that wanted to escape his throat. When he finished, Iroh placed Zuko's foot back down gently.

"Be sure to take it easy now Zuko. We cannot afford for you to become _seriously_ injured." Zuko nodded, his voice a little above a whisper.

"T-Thank you Uncle." Iroh nodded, a twinkle of joy in his eye. His nephew was becoming his old self little by little every day.

"Let's go to sleep now, we can check on the girl in the morning." Zuko nodded and lay down in his sleeping bag, seeing his uncle lay down in his own. He lay on his back, staring at the ceiling until sleep finally consumed him.

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The next morning Zuko awoke to the sounds of something being mixed. He opened his eyes, wincing against the bright sunlight, and looked over toward the fire to see his uncle sitting by it, making tea.

"U-uncle?…" He yawned, sitting up. Iroh turned and looked to him.

"Ahh, you're up Zuko. How did you sleep?" Zuko shrugged at the question.

"What are you doing?"

"I am making tea, for the girl. I have a good feeling that she will wake up soon."

"What makes you think that?" Zuko stood up and stretched, looking from Katara to his uncle.

"She has been stirring in her sleep." Zuko nodded a bit. He sat silently for a few moments before sighing resolutely, making his way to his feet.

"I'm going to go wash up."

"Alright Zuko…" Zuko picked up a towel and a set of clothes and walked out of the cave. Iroh turned back to the tea he was making, taking the pot off the fire. Katara finally stirred, opening her eyes slowly. She groaned loudly as the bright light made her head pound and brought her hand to her forehead. Iroh looked to her and walked over, kneeling down next to her.

"Ah, you're up. How are you feeling?"

"Alright I guess." She replied weakly. She sat up slowly with Iroh's help.

"Thank you." He nodded lightly as he handed her the cup of tea he had made her. She looked to him, doing a double-take.

"Hang on…you're Zuko's uncle aren't you?" Iroh nodded. The last time either of them had seen each other was back in the abandoned town. Katara took another sip of the tea, looking at the cup as she spoke.

"I thought you- I mean…" She trailed off, obviously meaning the attack of blue fire Iroh had been hit with. Iroh looked to her

"Yes, Azula's attack was powerful. It is a good thing I have such a…sturdy body" He laughed, patting his round stomach. Katara couldn't help but laugh softly as she finished her tea.

"I'm glad to know that you are okay." He nodded to her.

"Thank you Miss….but it is really you that you should be concerned about." Katara smiled to the kind old man.

"Katara…"

"Katara…that is a beautiful name. Well, breakfast is on the fire. Feel free to eat as much as you want. I am going to go for a quick walk." Iroh stood up, stretching as he walked out.

"Thank you." Katara called after him as she reached over to the plate of cooked fish he had left for her and began to eat.

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_****as I edit I find it crazy to believe how short my chapters were! Some of you may noticed I haven't changed all that much in some of these chapters. And I have good reason, it was my first fanfic and I really didn't want to take away from that. One day soon I may rewrite some areas.. but for now I just wanted to fix the awful parts****_


	4. Chapter 4 The First Fight

**2012: edits and revisions have been applied**

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**Chapter 4 – The First Fight**

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Katara sat in her sleeping bag quietly, eating the breakfast that Iroh had made. She heard the soft patter of footsteps and looked up to see Zuko walk into the cave. He limped on his wrapped ankle. He seemed relaxed, for once, and wore no shirt, but carried it over his shoulder. She felt herself blush at his chiseled stomach, and looked down to her plate in an attempt to hide her face.

"_Why am I blushing? And at ZUKO of all people?"_ She took a few breaths, feeling her face cool down and looked back up. Somehow, he hadn't noticed her. He sat down, with his back to her and folded his legs; it looked like he was meditating. Katara watched him, though she was not really sure why. The silence between them was almost deafening. She shivered a bit and sneezed. Zuko jumped up, spinning around to look at her. His face was in a cold sneer.

"What are _you_ doing here!" he snapped. She jumped at his sudden movement, and looked to him confusedly.

"Huh?"

"What…are…you…doing…here?" He said it through gritted teeth, glaring at her. She opened her mouth to speak but he cut her off before she got the chance.

"Get out!" His voice roared, echoing loudly. She stood up and her sore joints protested. She took a few slow steps back; afraid.

"Get out!" he yelled again, advancing towards her.

"Stay away from me!" Katara moved her hands, sending a stream of the tea at him. He groaned loudly, attempting to shield himself. It was just the advantage Katara had needed to escape. She took it gladly, and ran.

"STUPIP WATER PEASANT!" Zuko came charging out of the cave, sending a large ball of fire at her. She ducked, dodging it just in time as it sailed over her head and into a tree. She looked around, and as they were too far from the ocean to use that water, she was resolved to hoping that there was enough water around from the previous night's storms. She waved her hands above her head, taking the water that still rested on the leaves. It wasn't much, but it was enough. It formed into an orb over her head and she threw her arms forward, the water rushing at him. It hit him in the face and he stumbled back, sputtering. He glared at her, the water droplets on his face and head evaporating into steam. He shot another round of fire at her as she ran. They soon ended up on the beach.

"_Oh, finally. Thank goodness" _Katara thought to herself, grateful to finally be around her own element.

The two continued to battle on, throwing attacks at each other in succession. Zuko yelled loudly as he jumped into the air and spun; he landed back down onto the sand and punched forward, sending a large ball of fire at Katara. She dodged it and it hit another tree, setting it on fire. Katara looked at him and threw a large wave of water at him. Zuko gasped as slammed into him and sent him flying backwards, sending his back into a tree. He groaned loudly as he stumbled, fighting to regain his balance in the sand. He glared at her, sending out streams of fire. The two continued battling on.

Up in the sky, miles away, Aang, Toph Sokka, and Appa flew on, looking around for any sight of land. Toph sighed; petting Momo absentmindedly as he dozed in her lap.

"Do you guys see anything yet?" she asked. Sokka shook his head lightly.

"Not yet." He was trying to not lose hope.

"Hey, what's that?" Aang asked as he pointed to a cloud of dark smoke coming from eastward of them. Sokka looked over with a frown.

"Hmm… Fire Nation. Better lie low for now." He flicked to reins lightly. "Yip Yip." Appa groaned and turned west, flying away from the smoke. Meanwhile, neither of the two on the island noticed the bison flying away as they battled on.

Iroh walked up toward the beach from the forest, sighing contentedly as he threw his towel over his shoulder. He sniffed at the air and the smell of smoke assaulted his nose.

"Wha-!" He ran toward the beach, seeing Katara and Zuko battling it out. Zuko had her pinned against a large rock on the shore. Katara was fighting back quite well for her condition. She punched her arms forward and sent Zuko flying back. He flew through the air on his back before skidding along the sand. He threw himself back to his feet with his hands and did a series of movements before jumping into the air again, spinning. He came back down as he spun to face her. As his feet came back to earth, he felt a sharp pain surge from his ankle all the way up his leg. He groaned loudly and stumbled as he got ready to punch forward again.

"ENOUGH!" Iroh ran up, stepping in between the two teens. He had stopped Zuko's hand with his own and glared to the two. "What is the problem here? Do you want to give away where we are!" He turned to Katara. "Miss Katara, please, could you douse the flames my nephew seems to have created here?"

Katara nodded as she directed waves of water to the trees, putting out the fires. Iroh nodded to her in thanks and looked from Katara to Zuko, giving the pair of them a stern look.

"Now, let's get back to the cave before any more trouble starts." He helped Zuko stand up, barely saying a word to him. Zuko knew full well that they were both about to receive one of his uncle's famous lectures. Iroh slung one of Zuko's arms across his shoulders and helped the limping prince back to the cave as Katara followed behind quietly, feeling rather like a child that was due for a lecture.

When they arrived back to the cave, Iroh led Zuko to his bag. He sat him down and examined his ankle.

"How could you two be so irresponsible? Especially you Zuko! Attacking our guest while she's sick and while you yourself are hurt. And just imagine if someone had seen the _inferno_ that you created during your fight!" He had begun to wrap Zuko's ankle again, but wrapped it a bit tight in his anger, causing Zuko to take a sharp breath in as he jumped at the pain. He placed Zuko's ankle back down.

"Congratulations, you've hurt your ankle so badly it might as well be broken. You'll have to be laid up for a couple of weeks." Iroh had never felt so angry with his nephew, nor annoyed that he could have been so careless after he had already been warned.

"WEEKS!" Zuko huffed angrily to his uncle. "I can't afford to lie around for weeks!"

"It's not my fault you hurt yourself." Iroh said simply as he shrugged and stood up, walking over to Katara.

"And how are you my dear?" She shrugged, afraid to anger the man any further.

"I'm alright." Iroh nodded as he looked between the two of them.

"I'm very disappointed in the both of you. Now, both of you _get your rest._ You need to get well as soon as possible and that won't happen with the pair of you acting like a couple of rabid sabertooth moose-lions!" He walked near the fire pit and sat down. Zuko sighed as he lay down, turning his back to the both of them. Katara lay back in her bag as well. Her anger was soon dissolved as sleep overtook her.

Two weeks had passed and Katara had gotten over her cold. But Zuko was more arrogant and miserable than ever. Iroh had managed to construct him a crutch so that he could move around, but he hated using it. He wasn't very balanced with it, and complained that it made him feel inferior and weak.

"Zuko! Just stay still!"

"How do you expect me to do that? You're hurting my foot! And it's _Prince_ Zuko to you, peasant. Just because my uncle is nice to you doesn't mean you can call me by my first name, or that I have to be nice to you."

For the past 10 minutes Katara had been attempting to fix the makeshift cast Iroh had made. It consisted of a couple pieces of wood, to keep the ankle straight, and a couple pieces of rope to keep it together. To stop Zuko's whining about how uncomfortable the cast was she had placed pieces of folded up cloth between Zuko's leg and the cast, to act as a cushion.

"Just finish up already!" He huffed angrily. Katara glared at him and pulled the rope tighter than needed. Zuko groaned again and looked at her, seething. She stood up.

"There you are _your highness"_ Sarcasm dripped from her words. Zuko looked away from her, harrumphing.

"Well then, I see that thanks are below you."

"Why should I thank _you?_" he asked bitterly. Katara sighed in aggravation. She had just about had it with his attitude.

"You are the most pompous, arrogant, irritating person I have ever met in my life!"

"At least I'm not an annoying, pathetic, meddling PEASANT!" The two began fighting again, their voices echoing outside of the cave. Iroh came walking in, two buckets of fresh water in his hands. He placed them down and looked to the two fighting teens.

"STOP!" The fighting stopped instantly, as they both looked toward him. They looked like a pair of guilty children. "This incessant fighting is getting annoying. One of these days you two are going to have to take care of each other, and then you'll learn….you'll learn." The two teens looked to each other in disgust and then turned away from each other with a loud "humph!" Iroh only sighed, shaking his head.


	5. Chapter 5 Realizations and Confessions

**2011: edits and revisions have been applied**

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**Chapter 5 –Realizations and Confessions**

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"Guys, it's been weeks and still nothing. May-"

"NO! We're NOT giving up hope! Katara's too smart and too strong to let herself be taken by the ocean like that! She's a water-bending master! She's fine!" Sokka cut off Toph, glaring at her. Even though she couldn't see his face, she could hear it in his voice, she could feel it in his heartbeat. She grew quiet, looking down, her milky green eyes looking at him through her bangs. For the past week tensions had been growing, which had only led to more spats between the pair.

"I'm not saying we should give up hope… I'm just saying that we should be prepared for the worst." Her voice was quiet, not wanting to set him off again. She was never one to back down from a fight, but she knew this was eating Sokka alive. And she knew she missed Katara too. Sokka sighed lightly, he didn't want to admit it, but he agreed with her. He looked down nodding, his voice just above a whisper.

"I know…"

Aang sat there silently, as he leaned against a tree in the clearing they had decided to make camp in. They had been searching any and all land they found near where Katara had fallen, keeping track of it all on a map. They'd spend days searching the empty islands, only to leave each time with less and less hope. The more time that passed without finding Katara, the quieter Aang got. Wanting to have just a bit of time to herself to clear her head Toph stretched, shuffling her feet.

"I'm gonna go wash up in that stream we found. Come on Momo." Momo chirped and jumped up, flying onto her shoulder. She patted his head lightly and walked away down a path that led into the woods. Sokka had decided that while they were in places they didn't know, Toph would take Momo with her, a sort of "seeing eye lemur". He sighed again walked over to Aang. He sat down across from him.

"Hey, you okay? You've seemed really distant lately."Sokka said. Aang nodded lightly.

"Yea, fine. Just worried about Katara." He looked down and away from Sokka.

"Yea, I am too."

Aang stood up and took a few steps away, his back turned to Sokka. Sokka stood up and walked over, putting a hand on Aang's shoulder.

"Hey look, I understand how you feel. I care about Katara too and it's hard not having her here, or even knowing where she is, but don't worry, we'll find her."

"But that's just it… you don't understand how I feel." Aang said it looking down, his voice just barely above a whisper. Sokka looked to him, taking a slight step back. He crossed his arms, smirking.

"Somehow I think this is more than just about Katara missing…." Aang sighed a bit, still looking at the ground.

"Uh Sokka?" Aang said nervously,

"Yeah?"

"What would you say if..." He stopped a moment and then looked to Sokka. He pulled at his collar nervously. " Uh Sokka, you like me right?"

"Yeah, of course I do Aang." The water tribe boy smirked.

"Well, do you think Katara likes me?"

"Of course she does Aang, you're her best friend aren't you?" Aang shook his head,

"No, I mean likes me likes me. Like…more than a friend?" Aang's voice grew smaller with his question. Sokka looked at Aang who drew in a deep breath as he waited for the yelling to start. Sokka chuckled good naturedly, shaking his head as he rubbed the back of his neck. He placed a reassuring hand on Aang's shoulder as he smiled lightly to him.

"Somehow, I had a feeling that's what this was all about. Look, you and Katara have been really great friends for a while now. From the moment you two met you just… clicked. I know I didn't trust you at first, but I do know, and you're a great friend. And if you really like Katara, then I think that you should just tell her." Sokka smiled to Aang, who returned the smile, his big gray eyes bright, and nodded to him.

"Thanks Sokka." Sokka nodded, patting Aang's shoulder.

"No problem buddy." Aang smiled to him, nodding back. Sokka began to walk back to his seat and stopped. He turned and looked at Aang.

"Back at the fortuneteller's, it wasn't Meng you were talking about, was it?" Aang shook his head a bit. Sokka smirked, chuckling,

"That's what I thought…" Aang smiled back and turned back around as Sokka walked back to where he had been sitting earlier. Aang sighed as he looked up at the sky, he could breathe a bit easier now that he had told Sokka and found out he was okay with his secret.

Aang wasn't sure how long he had been sitting there. He just sat; staring at the sky, thinking of what he would say to Katara when he finally did tell her, hoping it would all go well. He kept playing conversations he imagined having with her over and over again in his head. Somehow, he just knew that Katara was still out there somewhere alive, he could feel it, and he knew that Sokka did too.

"Hey Aang! You gonna come eat or what?" Toph called over from her seat by the fire.

"Sokka's about to eat it all!" She laughed as Sokka coughed on his food.

"Heyy! I'm hungry!" Sokka looked at her, his mouth full with a bite of pear. "Fruit and nuts just don't fill a guy! I need some meat!" Aang stood up, chuckling.

"Yeah, I'm coming." Aang stood up and walked over, sitting down near the fire with the group. Sokka handed him a few pieces of fruit and some nuts, it was all that they had had lately, and they were running out fast.

"Man, I sure wish Katara was here…. She could always find the best food… and the most." Sokka sighed.

"I've gotta admit, Sugar Queen sure was nice to have around when it came to eatin'." Toph replied. "Since she's been gone all we've had is some fruit and nuts…oh, and we can't forget those 'rock-shaped nuts' that Sokka found… all they were, were rocks!"

"Hey! I'm trying my best!" Sokka defended himself, which was hard to do with a mouthful of pear and mango. The trio laughed lightly, but soon grew silent. The only sounds were those of the fire crackling and them eating, matched with Momo and Appa's light snoring. After a few more long minutes, Aang's voice cut through the silence.

"I think we should check out that island again…the one near where Katara fell off Appa. Where we saw the smoke." He stared at the half eaten mango in his lap.

"Aang, we've checked that place out once already, we didn't see anyone." Sokka looked to him.

"I know, but for some reason I just really think that we should check it out again. We didn't check the whole place, just one side… I think we should look again." Aang looked up at him. Sokka couldn't deny that determined face and nodded.

"Alright then, tomorrow morning we'll fly to the island. Let's just finish our dinner and get to bed."

* * *

Back in the cave, Zuko had finally grown tired of lying around all day and "degraded" himself, as he called it, to using the crutches his uncle had made him. Ignoring Iroh's advice he walked around on his ankle, using the crutches as extra support. He'd often fall and complain about that, and then complain even more when someone would help him up.

Katara was sitting at the edge of the freshwater stream that Iroh had found, watching the water pass by, and trying to clear her mind. All morning she had had to listen to Zuko whine and complain, and had started to get a headache. She sighed, looking toward the sky as she brought a hand to her necklace.

"Guys… where are you?" she whispered softly.

"They've probably given up hope looking for me…" Katara sighed as she looked down, fighting back the thoughts that threatened to darken her mind. It had been what two weeks? Three? She had started to lose count, and faith that her friends were coming for her. She lay back, using her arms as a pillow, watching the sun peek through the leaves of the trees above. Her eyelids slowly got heavier and heavier and she soon drifted off to sleep.

_The thunder roared again and Katara looked around through the dark, rainy skies from her seat on Appa's saddle. A large lightning bolt shook them all and Appa turned sharply. Katara felt herself slip and fall to the edge of the saddle, she grabbed onto the edge and felt herself lose grip from the slippery edge. She yelled out, but before anyone could even grab onto her she fell, screaming as she looked up, seeing Aang's shocked, scared face looking back at her, reaching down to her. It all had happened so fast, but seemed to move in slow motion all over again. _

_She continued falling and falling, when she finally made contact with the ocean all she heard was the splash and everything went dark. She woke up to being held in someone's arms as she lay down; a cool cloth was being wiped gently across her face and forehead. She opened her eyes slowly, letting them slowly adjust to the bright sunlight, to see Aang smiling back down at her._

"_A-ang?…" her voice was weak. _

"_Shhh… it's okay now," he smiled to her "I'm here now." She sat up slowly, her body aching. Aang put out a hand, which she took, and helped her to stand. Her legs wobbled a bit and she fell forwards into his chest. He caught her, helping to hold her steady. She chuckled sheepishly, looking to him. _

"_Heh… sorry." Aang smiled back to her,_

"_Don't worry about it… it's fine." Katara returned his smile, and both of them blushed lightly. Everything began to get slightly hazy and sparkly as their faces got closer and closer to each other, their eyes slowly closing. Before she knew it, their arms were wrapped around one another in a gentle kiss. She pulled back slowly from the kiss after a moment and opened her eyes slowly, to see Zuko smiling back at her. _

Katara shot up, looking around.

"What the? What kind of dream was that!" She rubbed her forehead; her mind racing.

"_Is this some sort of sign? Maybe I _do_ like Aang…But Zuko?…"_ Katara sighed angrily and she threw her hands down, causing the stream water to splash roughly.

"UGH! None of this makes any sense! I'm not supposed to like Zuko! He's my enemy!"

"_Maybe that's why it's just a dream." _A voice in her head said.

"_But still…it's Zuko…"_

"_It's a dream."_

"_But it was _Zuko._"_ There was no way she would allow herself to feel anything for them. It was all just a matter of being in such close proximity for so long.

"_And Aang…."_

"_Well…Aang's my best friend… Zuko he's…." _Katara couldn't come up with anything for what he was.

"_He's dangerous… he's forbidden…"_

"_Which makes him risky…"_

"_Ah… all the better than."_

"_Stop it! Stop it!_ Stop it! Stop it! STOP IT!" Katara had begun pressing her hands against her ears, shaking her head. She gasped and looked around, realizing that she had both risen to her feet, and that she had started yelling at herself out loud.

"_Fine, but remember…sometimes a dream, isn't always just a dream…sometimes it's your heart trying to tell you something…"_ Katara huffed at the voice and sat down again, folding her arms across her. As she watched the stream pass by she moved a hand to her lips where Dream Aang, and Dream Zuko had kissed them…where she'd returned the kiss.

"Maybe…Maybe I do like them? …But, how can I? It's just not right… it's not right…" She sighed again as she folded her legs up, resting her chin on her knees as she wrapped her arms around her legs, her eyes growing unfocused as she lost herself in thought.

* * *

Oooohh! Does Katara really like Aang, or Zuko for that matter? Lol Hmmm…

This chapter actually came out much differently than I had first intended or expected… but I came up with a few other ideas as I went on, and it turned out like this lol.


	6. Chapter 6 Traps

Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. It was going to be longer, but then I ended up getting busy with school starting so I haven't had a lot of time to work on it, so I wrote it to a fairly good ending point for the chapter, and posted it .

Everything with school is all settled now, so I'll be able to get chapters written earlier.

Enjoy

Thank you SOOO much to the people who pointed out the mess up in the Katara/Iroh conversation.. I had had two ideas for the conversation, and put them both in at first, to see what worked better, and thought I had erased it lol.

It's all better now thanks again.

****2011: edits and revisions have been applied****

* * *

**Chapter 6 – Traps**

* * *

From behind her, Katara heard the light snap of a twig. She jumped up instantly, turning around, ready to attack if need be. Zuko chuckled lightly, holding the one hand that didn't hold a crutch, up in surrender.

"Whoa… easy there Splash Girl, I come in peace." Over their past few weeks together, Katara and Zuko had been somewhat friendly toward each other, during his nice moments at least. And he had come to call her Splash Girl. It annoyed her at first, but after a while figured that it was better than 'peasant' or 'wench'. She looked at him a bit questioningly, lowering her arms to her sides.

"It was getting late and you didn't come back to the cave yet. Dinner is ready if you're hungry." He said. Katara nodded softly to him, giving a small "hmm". He walked forward, getting along with only one crutch now, and walked past her, stopping at the edge of the stream.

"What have you been doing out here the whole time?"

"Just…thinking. It's really relaxing out here." Katara answered as she turned back to watch the water. Zuko sat down slowly, using the crutch for help. He laid it next to him and leaned back on his hands, his legs outstretched in front of him. He nodded,

"Guess it is. It's peaceful, I'll give it that much." He looked around. Katara had to almost bite her tongue to keep from laughing. She didn't want to have to reveal to him that the whole reason she had hid out here in the first place was to get away from his complaining. She chuckled lightly, giving him a soft smile. He looked to her,

"What?"

She shook her head a bit, smirking.

"Ooh nothing, I just didn't know you had a soft side."

"Well of course I've got a soft side! I just choose not to show it!" Katara laughed louder this time, mainly at the puffed up face he made at her "soft side" comment. He glared at her.

"And _what_ may I ask is so funny!"

"Your face!" Katara continued laughing, wrapping her arms around her stomach. His face turned a red in anger, puffing up again, which only made her laugh even more.

"What face?"

"That one!" She replied through laughter. "You're all red, and, and puffy!"

"I am not puffy!" He pouted, making her laugh again.

"Are too! You get angry and get all red and puffy!" She imitated his puffed out cheeks when he got angry. He sneered and then felt a chuckle in him grow and soon turned into a laugh. Before they knew it, they were laughing out loud together, clutching their sides. After a few moments their laughter died down to soft chuckles. Katara smiled to him, and he looked to her quizzically.

"You ready to go eat now?" She nodded and stood up.

"Need help getting up?" She asked the struggling prince. He shook his head as he tried to stand up, using the crutch for help. He grunted a bit,

"Nope nope… I've got it." He slipped a bit, "I've totally…got it." He eventually made it up but hopped around a bit and almost fell. She caught his arm helping to steady him,

"Woah now…there ya go. Heh.." They stood there a moment and then their eyes slowly turned down to Katara's hands still on his arm. She pulled them away, folding her hands behind her back.

"Heh..." she blushed, as did he. Zuko looked straight ahead, walking ahead of her.

"Thanks." His voice was soft, but just enough for her to hear. She smiled softly,

"You're welcome…" He nodded ever so slightly, it was but a simple twitch of the head, his back still to her. She followed along behind him as they walked back to the cave.

"Ahh! There you are! I had been wondering where you had wandered off to Miss Katara." Iroh smiled to his nephew and Katara as they walked into the cave. Iroh led her over to the fire, handing her a plate of fried fish and a few pieces of fruit. She smiled gratefully to him and thanked him before beginning to eat. Zuko was about to sit down himself when Iroh grabbed his arm gently, murmuring into his ear softly,

"Zuko, I need to speak with you a moment." Zuko nodded slightly as he straightened back out. Iroh smiled politely to Katara,

"Please excuse us a moment Miss Katara. I must speak with my nephew a moment." Katara smiled to him and nodded,

"Of course." She said. Iroh nodded and led Zuko outside of the cave and a little bit away. Zuko looked at his uncle a bit annoyed.

"Uncle, what is so important that you had to keep me from my dinner?"

"Zuko, we need to be a bit more careful about how we go around the forest." Zuko gave a quizzical look to his Uncle, who just continued on. "I found this, in the woods." Iroh bent down and picked up something from behind a rock. He turned and showed it to Zuko. It was a large, rusted, metal trap. Its jagged teeth snapped shut on a branch. Zuko's eyes opened in slight shock as he looked from the trap to his Uncle.

"It seems kind of old… but there's no telling if it's a trick or not." Zuko nodded as his Uncle hung the trap by its chain at his side. "And I think it's best if we don't tell Miss Katara."

"Uncle…she has a right to know. She's always going off into the forest."

"Which is exactly why I want you to go along with her when she does."

"What!" Zuko jumped back, flames emitting from the clenched fists at his sides. Iroh gave him a look and Zuko exhaled, calming down as he took a step forward,

"Uncle, you can't really expect me to do that."

"I can and I do." Zuko huffed angrily, looking away a bit. After a moment he answered, his voice annoyed,

"Fine... but don't you think she might get a bit…curious, as to why I'm suddenly following her around?"

"Yes, she might. But it is for her own good. She has enough to worry about now; she doesn't need to worry about possibly being hunted. That still however, does not solve the problem of the traps…" Iroh sighed lightly, his brain racking. It all seemed simple enough to just not tell Katara about the traps, but what would happen if she just so happened to come across one? Or even worse, fall victim to one? Zuko looked to his troubled Uncle, knowing they were both thinking the same thing.

"So…what are we going to do now Uncle?" Iroh sighed heavily as he looked to his nephew,

"I think it would be best perhaps, if I spoke to her. Explained the situation and…hope for the best." He sighed again,

"Let's just, go inside now." Zuko nodded and made his way back inside, his Uncle following behind him. Zuko slid down into a sitting position, picking up his plate. Iroh sat down across the fire from Katara and looked to her.

"Miss Katara…." He trailed off. She looked to him, a bit worried.

"Is everything alright sir?" Iroh shook his head, looking to her.

"I'm afraid not my dear. I found a trap, in the woods. It's old and rusted, but there is still no telling as to whether or not it was recently put there. Now, I'm not sure that there are any other people on this island besides us, but it is possible. That's why; I do not want you going off into the forest alone. Zuko will accompany you." Katara looked to Iroh, shocked. She was surprised that he would even suggest such a thing. She knew it was for her safety, but still…she glanced over to Zuko, who was clenching his jaw tightly. She looked down into her lap and sighed dejectedly,

"Very well then…" Iroh nodded lightly to her and sighed, looking out the opening of the cave, his brain sending thousands of thoughts through his head. What exactly was in store for them? Were they really in danger? And he hoped that Katara and Zuko would be fine together and not tear each other's head off. They had been civil to each other lately, friendly in fact on some rare occasions, but he still had to wonder…what would happen if they were indeed attacked? He knew his nephew would protect her; it was just the way he was raised. But Iroh still worried.

"_Perhaps…this will be a good experience for Zuko. Maybe… he'll finally make a friend; or more…." _He thought to himself, smiling lightly at his silly wish. But, one never knows. Sometimes, over time, people tend to grow closer, and he could already sense something between the two teens. He had sensed it for a while now. All he could do for now was hope that everything would be alright, for all of them.

Iroh looked back to the two teens and stood up, stretching with a yawn.

"Uggh…it is time that I am off to bed, and you two best be getting your sleep as well. It's late." He took of his robe, revealing pants and a t-shirt like shirt and slid into his bag. A few minutes later the two heard light snoring coming from Iroh's direction. They sat there in silence, watching the flames. Katara side glanced to Zuko, seeing the reflection of the flames glistening in his eyes. After a moment she caught herself staring and quickly turned her gaze back to the fire. Zuko had been mesmerized by the flames, deep in thought, and hadn't noticed Katara, or anyone else for that matter, was even there. He snapped out of it when, from the corner of his eye, he saw her look back toward the fire. He glanced at her, and then mentally sighed disgustedly, looking back at the fire, cursing his 'bad fortune for cursing him to have to be in such close quarters with the water bender.' _"But..."_ He admitted in his head, glancing at her again _"she is rather pretty, and strong, and talented and…" _he stopped himself; almost needing to bite is tongue from huffing in disgust. He shook his head to clear it. No, he couldn't be having these thoughts…not about _her._ He stared at the fire, thinking to himself when the silence was broken by Katara's voice.

"Well…I'm going to…go to bed. G'nite.." Zuko only nodded lightly, and she stood up, and walked to her bag, sliding in. "_He is __so stubborn_!_" _She sighed, a bit annoyed with the prince that he wasn't even being the least bit friendly..

"_Maybe he's just as stressed as you are…"_that same voice said to Katara.

"_Yes…I guess that's possible. But can't he be a _bit_ nicer?"_

_"He was nice at the stream."_

_"Yes.. that's true, and he has been a _little_ nicer lately. Maybe he's just stressed, yes, that's it. He's just stressed, worried about the traps… tired of that cast and crutch. Yes.. that's all." _

_"Why are you defending him?"_

_"I'm not. I…"_ Katara stopped herself. Was she really defending him against her own conscience? She sighed,

"_I'm just tired, I just need some sleep."_

_"Suuurree.. That's it…you're _'tired'. _That's why you're defending him…"_ The voice teased.

"_Shut up…" _Katara shut her eyes, soon dozing off to sleep. Zuko sat there a bit longer, just watching the fire. After a while the fire started to die down, and he sighed, killing the rest of it and crawled over to his own bag, groping through the darkness.

"_I should have left the stupid fire lit till I found my bag!"_

"Hey! What are you doing?" Katara's voice called out. In the darkness, his hand had accidentally grabbed onto Katara's leg. He gasped, and took his hand away instantly, feeling his face heat up in a bright blush, thanking goodness that it was as dark as it was in the cave.

"Sorry! Sorry! I-uh… total accident. It's dark and all ya know, heh. Heheh…well, uhmm…goodnight." He dove into his sleeping bag, which he had found just after stumbling back from his embarrassing situation, covering his head. He felt his face burning still and sighed, trying to calm himself down as he clenched his eyes shut tightly, mentally kicking himself for making himself out to be a "stupid, stuttering, stumbling fool."


	7. Chapter 7 Understanding

**Wow! Thanks for all the great reviews guys! **

**Now, I'm pretty sure we've all seen the latest Avatar movie, but just to clarify, this story takes place before Appa was even stolen, before the group gets to the desert or the town where they met that professor. It's pretty much set sometime between The Chase and Bitter Work.**

**Now…on to Chapter 7! **

****2011: Edits and revisions have been applied****

* * *

**Chapter 7 – Understanding**

* * *

Katara woke up with the sun the next morning, taking extra care to be quiet as she rose, stretching out her limbs. She looked around to find that while Iroh was still asleep, Zuko's bag was empty.

"Hmm…" Katara stood up and walked to the mouth of the cave. She figured that now would be as good a time as any to head to the stream and wash up, she was certain to not be interrupted at this early hour. She entered the clearing and all plans of taking her own relaxing bath were broken at seeing a figure sitting near the stream; it was Zuko, sitting cross legged at the edge of the stream, looking as if he were meditating. She walked up behind him slowly, not wanting to interrupt him and have him set a fireball at her head. She took a step back, turning around, when she heard his voice.

"You're right… it really is relaxing here."

She turned to look at Zuko and smiled lightly,

"I'll just leave you alone then…" She turned to walk away when he spoke again,

"You don't have to leave…"

Katara smirked to his back and walked over, sitting down near the edge of the stream a few feet away from him. Zuko sat staring at the stream. Something was different about him; he looked relaxed, happy almost.

_"He looks kind of handsome actually…" _Katara thought to herself. They sat there a while longer, just watching the water pass by; the only sounds that could be heard were that of the water trickling and the birds singing and passing from tree to tree. Katara began absentmindedly playing with her necklace, rubbing the stone between two fingers. Zuko's gaze passed over to her and chuckled lightly.

"That necklace is really important to you, isn't it?"

Katara's hand stopped moving as it wrapped around the pendant. She looked down with closed eyes, staying silent a moment.

"It was my mother's…She died, in a fire nation raid." Her sentence drifted off to just a whisper. Zuko looked down,

"O-oh…" He paused a moment, silence hanging between them, "My mother's gone too." His voice had become gravelly quiet. Katara looked to him,

"I'm sorry."

Zuko shook his head, and suddenly everything was just pouring out,

"I don't even know what happened to her. She just left in the middle of the night, when I was younger. She never said why she had to go or where she was going. I haven't heard anything from or about her sense."

"Oh…Zuko…" Katara put a hand on his forearm looking at him, her eyes sympathetic. He looked back at her, their eyes locking. They sat there like that a moment when Zuko snapped out of it, moving back a bit, as he chuckled lightly.

"Heh… don't feel sorry for me, its fine."

"You don't have to pretend to be so strong, or brush people off all the time you know."

"It's all I know." Zuko stood up, grabbing his crutch. He stared at the water, lost in a moment's thought before turning his gaze upon her once more.

"You wanna go for a walk?" He hoped she would say yes and just drop the topic. Katara nodded, standing up.

"Sure."

Together they turned into the forest, walking in silence.

"So –uh… what are you and your uncle doing on this island anyway?" Katara's voice finally broke the silence.

"Oh, well…" He supposed they never had broached that subject, and really it was pointless to lie about it. "… Hiding out from Azula…until my uncle heals completely anyway." Katara nodded.

"How'd you get here? It's pretty far away from, well… anything." She chuckled, waving her hands around to emphasize. Zuko have a tiny smirk to her before looking ahead again.

"We snuck onto a cargo ship, and stole one of the emergency boats." He chuckled at Katara's shocked look "It's not as bad as you think, really. We needed to get off that thing somehow before reaching a port. Knowing Azula, she's having every ship inspected."

Katara nodded, her eyes glazing over in silent reverie. After a small moment Katara spoke again,

"I fell off Appa. Not on the ground…into the ocean. It was during that storm." Zuko looked to her, studying her.

"I had a feeling it was something like that."

"I spent hours out there… waiting for the storm to end. I was about to give up hope when I saw this island."

"How'd you get here?"

"Waterbending…I used it the whole time just to keep my head above the water." Zuko nodded lightly, looking down,

"It saved your life…" his voice was soft. "_Maybe water's not so bad after all…"_ a voice in his head mused. They continued to walk on, silence falling between the two again. Zuko had just opened his mouth to say something when there was a loud crack and he stumbled forward, barely catching himself with his hands as his crutch fell to the ground.

"What the…" He picked up his crutch and looked at the end, the foot was completely snapped off.

"Zuko… look..." Katara pointed to the ground. His gaze followed where she pointed to and saw the large jagged claws of a trap shut around the broken foot of his crutch.

"That could have been your foot!" Katara gasped. Zuko looked from the trap to her,

"Come on, let's go."

The pair turned, starting back towards the cave. A loud birdcall echoed, stopping Katara dead in her tracks. Her eyes zoomed around, searching the trees as her heart began to pound. Zuko looked to her, concerned at her suddenly strange behavior.

"What's wrong?" he studied her as she remained silent for another moment, still looking through the branches and leaves. Finally she sighed, shaking her head.

"Nothing…it's nothing, let's go." she began to walk again, her shoulders still tense.

"_That sounded so familiar… I could have sworn it was-"_ Suddenly a figure jumped down from a tree and landed in front of the two, stopping them. Katara gasped as she looked at the rugged figure in front of her.

"Jet!" her voice was one of shock and anger.

He smirked at her, a piece of grass hanging from his lips.

"Hello Katara"

"What are you doing here?"

"I just came to say hello. Can't old friends drop in every now and then?"

"We're not friends…" she stated.

"Ouch Katara, that hurt. Come on now, can't we just let bygones be bygones?" He smiled to her, taking a step forward. His voice was fake, too fake. Zuko stood confused, looking from this newcomer Jet and then to Katara at her response.

"No Jet, we can't. You tricked me! You tricked me and you used me!"

"Ohh Katara,..that was a long time ago. Can't you forgive me?" Katara's look turned into a murderous glare, her hands going down toward her water skin.

"Forgive you? Forgive you for trying to kill hundreds of people! How can you ask me to forgive you for that?"

"Oh come on Katara, I made a mistake… a really stupid one. But I'm just a human." He smirked that same sly smirk. Katara continued to glare at him, her voice low.

"No Jet, you're not a human, you're a monster."

Jet's smirk instantly turned to an angry glare,

"What was that?" he took anpther step forward, advancing on her. Katara kept her ground, refusing to back down.

"You heard me; I said you're a monster…"

"At least I didn't freeze someone to a tree."

"NO! You just tried to kill hundreds of people!" The water sloshed around a bit, splashing out. Jet let out a bitter laugh at her response, running a hand through his wild hair.

"I was just trying to cleanse this world of the monsters we call firebenders."

Zuko took a step forward, about to blast Jet but Katara beat him to the punch, shooting Jet with a large rope of water, slapping it across his face. The slap echoed, leaving a wide red welt.

Jet ran a hand across his face, and something about his smile turned dangerous.

"Heh…think a little water can beat me? You're just a stupid waterbender!" His hands shot back, grabbing his hooked swords and he charged at Katara. She yelled out, sending another blast of water at him, freezing it around his legs.

"It seemed to beat you the first time didn't it? And it's _Master _Waterbender to you!" She threw her hands forward, the ice breaking into shards and flying at his face. He hit them away with his blades; one of the shards of ice grazed his left cheek, leaving a small cut. He grunted, rubbing it and glared at Katara.

"You'll pay for that!" He charged forward, about to hit Katara when Zuko stepped in front of her, blocking Jet's way. He held his crutch out, having left his swords in the cave and smacked it roughly against Jet's right wrist, causing him to stop and drop the sword. Jet's arm hung limply at his side, pain coursing through it. Using the crutch, Zuko fished the dropped sword to himself and picked it up, pointing it at Jet.

"Don't touch her." He glared at him, speaking through clenched teeth. Jet gasped lightly upon seeing Zuko face to face.

"You're him…that fire bender I've been watching! The one they're all after. Ooohh… won't this victory be sweet? Just imagine the reward I'll get for turning in a firebender, and a waterbender working side by side with him." Zuko glared at Jet,

"No one's turning anyone in." He kept the sword pointed at Jet, ready to attack if he tried anything.

"Heh, what's this? Got yourself a girlfriend to protect there?" Jet looked over Zuko's shoulder to Katara, "Just think Katara, you could have had someone like me, someone who fights for the good cause. And instead, you sell out for someone like him. Pretty stupid decision." Katara glared at Jet, taking a step forward. Zuko put out an arm to block her way, and pointed the sword even closer with the other hand, glaring at Jet,

"You _do not_ talk to her, do I make myself clear?"

Jet smirked to Zuko,

"Or what? You going to blast me with your fire? Make yourself a little fried snack?"

"I don't eat junk food." Jet growled and charged forward, swinging his left sword, Zuko blocked his attack, knocking his sword to the side and side kicked at him, spinning around. Jet charged again, slashing at Zuko. Zuko blocked his attack and swung the sword, their blades connecting with a loud clang. Katara gasped lightly, knowing Zuko's ankle wouldn't hold out long if they kept fighting. She swung her arms forward, collecting the water she had thrown about and thrust it forward, knocking Jet backwards into a tree.

"Stop this!"

"Heh…or what? You'll freeze me to a tree again? Go ahead…It's not like someone can save me anyway…" Katara looked to him. Hi statement had shocked her enough to stop her from continuing her efforts of freezing him there.

"You're alone?"

"Yea. After the avatar left, the freedom fighters began to think that I was a little too crazy, too power hungry. That I was so set on ridding the world of firebenders that I didn't care what happened to others. Who knows? Maybe they're right…but it doesn't matter now. I'm all alone…they brought me here and left me alone to die." As he spoke, the water began its climb once again.

"And why should I believe you? You never did anything but lie to me."

"So then get it over with already. Freeze me to this tree and leave me alone, _again_." He smirked at her evilly. Katara gave him a hard stare, her voice level. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of winning.

"No Jet…because unlike you, I have sympathy." She turned and walked away through a clearing in the surrounding trees. Jet chuckled lightly, muttering,

"Weakling."

Zuko growled lightly and punched Jet square in the jaw, taking the other blade and walked off after Katara, leaving Jet alone and unarmed.

Zuko hurried after Katara, who was storming off through the woods.

"I take it he's an old friend of yours."

"Friend is too strong a word." She spat. Zuko chuckled.

"Yea… I have a few of those too."

"Just…ugh! Can you believe the nerve of that jerk! He's just so…GAAAH!" Katara yelled out, throwing her hands in the air. Zuko chuckled lightly, shaking his head as he leaned back against a tree.

"Take it easy splash girl, before you cause a tsunami."

She let out a breath, shaking her head.

"Heh…sorry. You're right, you're totally right." She exhaled deeply, calming down a bit. Zuko smiled to her.

"Come on, I'm sure by now Uncle Iroh is up and wondering where we are." Katara nodded to him, chuckling.

"You're probably right." They started walking toward the cave again, taking it slow for Zuko's ankle. Suddenly there was a loud crash and an even louder roar. They both gasped and turned.

"What was that?" Katara jumped in shock at the sound as they whipped around, jumping to Zuko's side. He shook his head,

"I don't know… but it's probably best we don't stick around to find out."

Katara nodded, about to turn around when there was a loud crash of trees and Appa came barreling through the trees, roaring loudly.

"Katara, look!" Zuko pointed to Appa's tail, which was thrashing around wildly. Around the end of his tail, another one of the traps was clamped down. Katara gasped and ran over, standing in front of a rearing Appa.

"Appa! Appa calm down! It's okay Appa. It's me, Katara!"

Appa continued to thrash around, rearing up and down as he roared loudly in pain. He went up on his very back feet, taking down a few trees with his tail.

"Appa! Appa!" Aang's voice called as he, Sokka and Toph came running up, gasping at the sight. All at the same time Appa toppled a bit, his front feet coming back down to earth.

"Katara!" Zuko yelled out and ran forward, tackling her out of the way of Appa's feet as they crashed back down to the ground. Katara gasped and looked to him, as he laid on top of her slightly, protecting her from the falling branches..

"That's the second time you've saved my life…"

"It's the third…and you can thank me later."

She chuckled lightly and he smirked a moment. There was a loud crack above them and she looked up, gasping.

"Watch out!" She yelled out and he rolled them to the side, just in time for a large branch to land where they had been seconds earlier. Katara looked from the branch to him.

"Okay…fourth time."

Aang stood in front of Appa, arms raised in the air.

"Appa! Calm down boy! Calm down! It's okay, I'm gonna get you out of this…" Appa stopped, looking to Aang and calmed down, lying down as Aang walked around to his tail. Zuko was just getting up when a boomerang whizzed by his head, missing it by inches and landed in the tree next to him with a loud thud. He turned around to see a very angry Sokka.

"And just WHAT do you think you are doing with MY SISTER!" He yelled out, his face a bright red. He was practically steaming from his ears. He glared at Zuko as if he were about to kill him. Katara stood up, knowing this could end badly.

"Sokka…Zuko saved my life."

"Katara! There's no way this…this…_firebender _could have possibly saved you!" Sokka spat, "He doesn't have compassion for others! He doesn't even _like _others!"

Zuko growled lightly, stepping forward. Katara put a hand on his upper arm, stopping him and stepped forward in his place.

"It's true Sokka. Zuko and his uncle took care of me after they found me washed up on the beach from that storm. He saved me then, and he saved me from Appa, and that branch and from… Jet!"

Sokka was about to question her again when Jet dropped down from one of the trees, smirking.

"I see your bison found my little trap." He smirked, as if proud of himself. The group glared at him and Aang whipped around, positively seething.

"YOU!" He growled, a blast of air blowing up around him. "You're the one that set the trap that hurt Appa! You hurt my bison!"

Jet smirked.

"Yea. Whatchya gonna do-" he wasn't able to finished his sentence before he was blasted backwards, quite forcefully, into a tree, by a large blast of wind from Aang. He groaned as he stood up, only to be blasted back again.

"You hurt my bison!"

"And I would have got Katara too if it wasn't for that stupid firebender."

The group gasped, Sokka looking to Zuko , wide-eyed in disbelief. Before anyone could say anything else, Jet was blasted backwards again, his head smacking into the tree trunk. Aang glared at him,

"You hurt my bison, and you tried to hurt my friend! What kind of person are you?" Aang glared at Jet, who was becoming quite dizzy from constantly being blasted backwards into trees.

"He's not a person…he's a monster." The voice was Katara's. She walked up, standing next to Aang, ready to attack Jet. He chuckled smugly.

"Look at this, the Avatar and the waterbender, working side by side again. Funny… I remember the last time I saw this, a whole town was flooded." Katara grunted loudly as she threw a large whip of water at Jet, smacking it cleanly across his face, the slap echoing. Appa groaned loudly, obviously quite uncomfortable. Sokka walked over.

"It's okay Appa. It's just me, your good buddy Sokka." He walked around to his tail. "Let's see if I can help you with that." Sokka began to try to open the trap, grunting loudly. After several tries it still wouldn't come undone, and Appa groaned again. "Gah! It's stuck!" Zuko sighed irritated and walked over.

"Let me help you with that." He offered. Sokka snorted.

"I've got it." He tried again, with no luck.

"Look! Either you swallow your pride for one minute, or he's gonna have that thing stuck on him for good!" He stared at Sokka who looked back, staying silent a moment before looking down sighing.

"You're right…Okay. On three. One…two…three!" The two attempted to open the trap, grunting in effort, but the trap didn't budge. They stopped, panting lightly. "Again! One, two… THREE!" They pulled again, the springs squeaked lightly.

"Keep going!" Zuko yelled out. The two kept pulling, the jaws opening all the way, freeing Appa's tail. They quickly dropped the trap, which snapped shut and clanged to the ground. They panted, sweat dripping down their faces and looked to each other, chuckling. Zuko clapped Sokka on the shoulder lightly.

"Good work." He smiled lightly to Sokka who returned the smile for a moment before snapping back to his normal persona and stood up straight, giving Zuko a slight sneer.

"Just because we got Appa out of that trap doesn't mean we're friends… I'm onto you…" Sokka turned and walked to Appa's head, patting the side of his large furry face.

All the while, Aang and Katara had been keeping Jet at bay, while Toph just stood where the trio had entered, a chirping Momo on her shoulder.

"Gee…this is eventful." She said as she reached into her pocket and took out a nut, handing it to Momo who replied with a chirp and gobbled on it greedily.

Zuko had come around Appa to find Jet frozen up to his waist, bound to the tree he had previously been thrown into.

"You just don't get it do you? A little ice and wind can't hurt me." Jet glared to them as he spoke, struggling to get out of his entrapment.

"You know what Jet? You're probably right. Water and air can't hurt you… but kindness can." Katara dropped her hands, the ice melting. She turned, starting to walk away when Jet charged forward, about to attack Katara. Zuko jumped between Katara and Jet, grabbing Jet's fist in the air. He glared at him,

"Are you really such a coward to attack someone from behind?" Everyone stopped and looked, stunned at what Zuko had just done. Even Zuko had surprised himself using the same wisdom his uncle had once saved him with. Zuko spun his arm, flipping Jet over and onto his back with a loud thump, knocking the air out of him. Zuko turned to Katara, placing a hand on her shoulder and leading her away. "Let's go."

"You can't stay here, none of us can." Katara looked to Zuko, worried. He nodded, knowing she was right.

"I know…"

"You can come with us." The voice was Aang's, had climbed up on Appa's head, smiling to Zuko. Sokka was about to protest but was sharply elbowed in the ribs by Toph and he shut his mouth, scowling.

They continued to walk along, soon arriving at the cave. Iroh walked out, looking with wide eyes from Appa, to Aang and then Zuko.

"Nephew, what is the meaning of this?"

"Get your things Uncle, we're leaving." Zuko replied, walking into the cave. Iroh looked, open mouth, from Appa to Katara and then Aang and then back again, confused. He shrugged and walked back inside, followed by Katara. Within minutes their things were packed and on Appa's back.

"Okay, now if we're going to be a team we've got to promise to get along." Katara gave a sharp look to Sokka who snorted at what she had said. "Or at least make the _effort_." Sokka rolled his eyes.

"Alright, alright fine! Geeze." he sat back, sighing as he shook his head.

"Well, we might as well get out of here." Aang flicked the reins with a "Yip Yip" and Appa took off, flying off into the sky.


	8. Chapter 8 Connections

**A/N: **

**Hey all! SOO sorry it took so long for me to get this chapter out! Midterms rolled around so I got wrapped up in studying for those, as well as studying/memorizing lines for my scene in acting class. Hope y'all enjoy this chapter. **

**I found a quote in something from a packet my acting teacher handed out, and something about it spoke to me, so I'm sharing it with you here… **

**"**_As an actor, you tend to want to show everything—but that's not true to life. What's compelling is the sense that something isn't being revealed—you just see little flashes that give you a hint as to why somebody is acting the way he is. That's what draws people to characters—that mystery or possibility. Will we know? Will we be shown?" _Glenn Close

Well, I hope you enjoy Chapter 8!

****2011: Edits and Revisions have been applied****

* * *

**Chapter 8 – Connections**

* * *

Sokka scowled as he looked down to the slowly shrinking island. Katara and Toph were helping Iroh to get comfortable as Zuko sat back, gripping his ankle as he groaned lightly. Iroh smiled lightly to the girls,

"Thank you ladies…" he looked to Toph and smiled, recognizing her. "Oh, hello again stranger." She nodded politely to him.

"Hello."

Katara's vision glanced over from Toph and Iroh to Zuko, who was grimacing, his ankle obviously in a lot of pain. Katara made her way over and sat in front of him, looking at him,

"You okay?" He snorted, looking to her.

"No! My ankle hurts again!" She couldn't help but smirk at his childlike behavior.

"Let me see." She reached for his ankle to place it on her lap.

"No!" He pulled back his leg, only to groan in pain again. She chuckled as she shook her head and he gave in, letting her rest his foot on her lap. Katara opened her water skin, leading some water out of it and around her hand. She placed her hand on his ankle and the water began to glow. Zuko looked from her hand to her and back to her hand, astonished, the burning of his ankle subsiding. Katara took her hand off his ankle, looking at it.

"Well, the sprain is gone. But you've got to still take it easy on it for another day or two." She closed the water skin and looked to Zuko, who was staring from his ankle to her, mouth slightly agape.

"How did you do that?"

"Healing. It's something only a very few waterbenders can do." Iroh answered for her, and turned his gaze to her. "Nicely done." Katara smiled to him, nodding in thanks.

"That's amazing…" Zuko said lightly.

"Oh yeah. Real amazing. Especially how she didn't know about them when I had _two_ fishhooks stuck in my _thumb!_" Sokka turned, looking to them. Zuko looked back, raising an eyebrow as he chuckled,

"How did you get two fishhooks stuck in your thumb?"

"I don't wanna talk about it!" Sokka pouted and turned away staring down at the water, causing Zuko to smirk as he turned his gaze to Katara. She leaned forward slightly, keeping her voice soft,

"He tried to get the first one out with another hook." Zuko chuckled, shaking his head. Aang turned around from the reins, looking to the group.

"It's gonna be a while until we get to that other island. Might as well just relax."

"Good idea." Katara responded. Aang smiled to her and nodded before turning back around and patting Appa's head.

"You know where to go buddy." Appa groaned in response and Aang laughed lightly, laying back. Katara shifted herself over so that her back could rest against the edge of the saddle. She sat next to Zuko, leaving a bit of space between them. Eventually, the rest of the group dazed off, leaving just Katara and Zuko awake. Katara soon dozed off herself, her head making its way onto Zuko's shoulder. He sat there, shocked, but he didn't want to wake her. He smiled lightly, and rested his head on hers, falling asleep himself.

Zuko woke up slowly, looking around. Everyone else was still asleep as they flew through the air. He looked toward the sun, guessing he had been asleep for a few hours, and that it was mid-afternoon by now. He yawned quietly, feeling something heavy on his chest. He looked down, focusing in on Katara's sleeping form, her head resting on his chest. His lips formed a small smile, and he watched her for a moment before he caught himself. He shook his head, and straightened up, moving slightly. Katara stirred lightly and he stopped, looking down to her again, her hair shining lightly in the sunlight. He caught himself smiling again as she began to wake up. She moved her head slightly before fully waking up, realizing where she was. Her breath caught in her throat a moment, her mind racing,

_"Oh…my…"_ She snapped up to sit and looked to him, chuckling sheepishly, her voice quiet. "Heh… hey…" He nodded lightly, looking to her, keeping his voice low as well.

"Hey…uhmm…sleep well?" he asked. She nodded lightly.

"…Yeah…fine." She paused a moment and smiled lightly to him, "thanks". He looked at her a moment, staring into those deep cerulean eyes that had began to slowly captivate him. He caught himself again, turning back into that normal, closed off Zuko.

"Don't get all sappy. I was just being polite…for you fixing my ankle. You're lucky I gave you that." He turned around, scooting away, and laid back down with his back to her. Katara sighed lightly and turned her back to his, looking down over the edge of the saddle and down to the water. For every one step forward he'd take another two back.

The group arrived at their destination a few hours before sunset. They divided the chores amongst themselves, Iroh and Toph would set up camp, Zuko and Sokka would get firewood and food, and Katara and Aang would get the water. Lucky for them, Aang, Toph and Sokka knew their way around, as their current campsite was the same one the trio had stayed at just days before.

Katara and Aang walked along a path toward the freshwater spring, just catching up and joking around. It was apparent the two friends had missed each other very much, but in the uproar of Jet, and Appa's tail getting stuck in a trap, they hadn't really had a chance to catch up. On the flight over everyone had either been sleeping or just babbling on about what had happened before Aang, Sokka and Toph had come to the island. They eventually came to the spring and Katara set her water bag and Zuko's canteen down, lightly splashing her face with the cool water; sighing a relieved and comforted sigh. Aang smiled to her lightly, grabbing her water skin and began to fill it. Katara did the same with Zuko's. She was silent a moment, and stopped filling the canteen, staring at the water dripping down its sides. Aang looked to her, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey…you okay?"

"Yea…fine." She kept staring at the water. Aang shrugged a bit,

"Okay…"

"Why were you so willing to let Zuko come with us?" She looked to him, her cerulean eyes searching his face. Aang looked to her, his grey eyes looking back into hers.

"Cause he saved my best friend." He smiled that childish smile and Katara smiled back, hugging him.

"Thank you Aang." She smiled, standing up. She gave him a soft wave and walked off back toward camp, leaving a very confused, yet happy Aang behind. He rubbed his head, watching her walk off,

"Uhmm, you're welcome… I think."

* * *

"Just catch it already!"

"I can't just catch it! It's too fast! You try running after things with a bum foot!"

"Fine! I'll just do it myself!" Sokka and Zuko had been running through the woods, attempting to catch their dinner. The small creature rushed about, trying to evade them. The boys had already collected the fruit and nuts for everyone, but as Sokka had said, they were men; they needed more than plants to stay strong. Zuko had silently agreed.

Toph sat down in front of the fire Iroh had started, brushing the dirt off her hands. She had just finished earthbending a few tents for everyone.

"So, how have you been since we last had tea?" Iroh smiled lightly to her, "I imagine traveling with the Avatar is quite an adventure." Toph chuckled lightly,

"Heh…ya got that right…" She took a sip of the tea Iroh had made, her milky eyes staring out to where the fire would be. Iroh chuckled in a response, smiling. The girl could be quiet, but she was still good company to have.

* * *

"Watch out!"

"Ow!"

"I said watch it!" Sokka and Zuko were still in pursuit of their quarry. Sokka rubbed the red mark on his face from where a branch had slapped into it. "Ughh! This thing is too fast!" Zuko snorted,

"Or maybe you're just too slow."

"I wouldn't be talking. You're the one who won't run on your "poor hurting ankle"" Sokka mocked as he waved his hands around. Zuko growled lightly,

"Your sister is the one who told me to take it easy."

"Since when do you listen to anyone? Especially my sister!"

"Since I don't want to be laid up again! That's when! Don't question me on things!"

"I'll question you all I want when it comes to _my sister_!" Sokka snarled at him. Zuko growled and punched a hand forward, a ball of fire flying over his shoulder and hitting a tree. Sokka looked to him angrily

"Hey!" He was about to retaliate when he looked to his side, seeing the creature scurry off. He sighed, "Well, there goes dinner…" Zuko scoffed,

"Let's just get back to camp with what we have."

"Yea… good idea." Sokka sighed and turned, heading back towards camp.

* * *

The group managed to make it through dinner peacefully, and soon after turned in for bed. Only Katara, Zuko and Iroh remained awake. Katara sat, once again, with Zuko's foot in her lap, wrapping his ankle after having healed it again. He groaned, clenching his eyes shut against the throbbing pain. Katara sighed, completely aggravated with him.

"Well if you had taken it easy like I had told you to!"

"No one tells me what to do!"

"Well when it comes to your health maybe you should think about not being so thick headed!" She tied his wrappings and shoved his foot off her lap roughly and stood up, storming into the tent Toph had made for her. Zuko growled angrily, the campfire flicking a bit.

"Zuko." Iroh growled warningly, "She is right you know. Perhaps you should be a bit more respectful towards Miss Katara." Zuko scoffed,

"Yea right, what for?"

"She has been nothing but kind to you!"

"I don't have time for kindness…"

"Like you didn't on that bison?" Iroh smirked lightly as Zuko looked to him in disbelief. "That's right Zuko…I was awake, I saw that smile…there's something there, isn't there?" Iroh chuckled as Zuko stood up, turning his back to Iroh.

"I'm going to bed…" He walked off to his own tent and lay down, covering his head with his blanket. Iroh chuckled, shaking his head as he looked toward the night sky, his voice soft,

"Oh my nephew, you are growing up, aren't you."

* * *

A few hours later, Katara stood up and walked out of the tent. She couldn't sleep. She looked toward the campfire, seeing Zuko sitting before it, watching the flames. She walked over, keeping her voice quiet,

"Hey." She said. He continued to stare at the fire, keeping his voice quiet as well,

"Hey."

"I uh… couldn't sleep…"

"Yea… me either." His eyes didn't leave the fire. Katara sighed quietly, almost disgusted with their fake pleasantries. She sat down across from him, looking at the fire. The two stayed silent for a while. Zuko threw a small twig into the fire, keeping his eyes on it as it burned.

"I'm uh…s-sorry about before… I just hate being laid up like this…" His voice was even quieter. It was obviously very difficult for him to apologize. Katara looked at him, quickly masking her shock at his apology.

"Oh … it's okay. I-I'm sorry too. We're all just really tired and…and stressed. It was a long day. It's just natural to snap on each other every once in a while." She chuckled lightly, almost surprised to see Zuko nod in agreement.

"So…where'd you learn to do that, healing thing?"

"Oh, a while back. I kind of just…discovered that I had it one day. It was…" She paused a moment and sighed, lowering her voice a bit, "It was when Aang was trying to learn firebending from Master Jeong Jeong. He got a little too excited and the fire got out of hand and…burned me." Zuko stiffened slightly, closing his eyes upon hearing this. Katara continued, "I was sitting by this lake and I put my hands in the water, to cool them off. All I could think about was how much they hurt, and how much I wanted it to stop. And then they were glowing, and I was better. And then I healed a burn on Aang's arm…it wasn't until the North Pole where I really learned more about healing." Zuko nodded lightly,

"Well…thanks, for …you know. But…why didn't you heal me sooner?" Zuko looked to her. Katara giggled lightly,

"Because you never let me get close enough." Katara looked at him. Zuko stared at her a moment before nodding with a soft "hm" and turned his gaze to the fire.

"I've never really let anyone get close…." His voice was quiet again. Katara looked to Zuko sympathetically,

"No one?" Zuko shook his head at her question,

"No."

"Not even your mom…or dad? Or your uncle even?" She looked to him. Zuko looked over to the tents for a moment before turning back to Katara, keeping his voice soft.

"My mother and I…got along great. She was really nice and caring. But then she left. And then my father banished me. It's all my fault." The fire flicked. Katara scooted over to him, placing a hand on his arm and looked to him,

"Zuko, you need to stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault your father banished you." Zuko scoffed, shrugging her arm off.

"Yes it is. I spoke out in the middle of a conference…even though my uncle warned me not to. And…I was challenged to an Agni Kai." He paused, seeing her puzzled expression and continued, "It's a duel. He never even gave me a chance to defend myself, or apologize. My own father attacked me, and gave me this scar. And then he banished me. And it's my entire fault" He threw a pebble into the fire. Katara looked to him, placing her hand on his arm again.

"Zuko, what your father did to you was unfair and wrong, but that doesn't make it your fault." She looked at him, her cerulean eyes boring into him. He looked at her, holding her gaze before looking away again.

"Thank you Katara." He said.

"You're not alone you know. I know what it's like to lose a mother. You don't have to fight alone." She looked at him still. Zuko's eyes watched the fire, the flames reflecting in his eyes. He kept his voice soft,

"I know." Katara smiled lightly to him, and looked toward the fire. They sat there a moment or two, not speaking; the only sounds around them were those of nature. Zuko sighed lightly, looking up toward the sky.

"Zuko?"

"Yeah?"

"I just, wanted to say thanks, for being so nice to everyone." Katara looked at the sky as well as she spoke. Zuko was about to retaliate, to come up with some excuse as to why he was being so nice, but stopped himself and sighed, knowing this wasn't something he could fight.

"You're welcome." They were silent for a minute or two before Zuko's face broke into a wide yawn. He tried to brush it off, turning his face back to watching the stars,

"It's a nice night…" Katara shifted toward him, yawning as well.

"Yea…it is." She rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. Zuko looked to her a moment, before relaxing, resting his head on hers, whispering,

"Good night Katara."

"AHHH! What are you doing?" Sokka's voice screeched out. Katara and Zuko jumped awake, Zuko bumping his head on the back of the tree he had been resting against. Katara winced against the bright light of the rising sun, her eyes focusing on Sokka. Zuko looked to him,

"What?'

"What are you doing out here? T-together?" Sokka flailed his hands around. Katara looked to her brother,

"Sokka, we were just talking last night and we fell asleep. It's no big deal."

"No big deal! Katara! He's a firebender! He-" At this, Zuko stood up and stormed off. Aang crawled out of his tent, rubbing his eyes as he yawned lightly,

"What's going on?" Katara snarled at Sokka as she stood up, ignoring, or not even hearing Aang's question,

"And you're a big jerk!" Sokka gave a look as if he had been slapped and watched as Katara stormed off, following after Zuko. Aang looked back and forth, confused, his gaze stopping on Sokka,

"What happened?"

"Nothing! Sh-he-th-AAUGGHUUHH!" Sokka threw his hands in the air, yelling loudly. Aang raised an eyebrow, watching Sokka walk off in the opposite direction, and shrugged.

Katara followed after Zuko, who had stopped off in a clearing in the woods. He punched forward a flaming fist, hitting a tree, leaving a burnt spot on its trunk. Katara looked to him.

"Zuko. Just ignore him"

"How can I! Did you hear what he called me?"

"Yes, I did… A firebender." She said bluntly, talking over the scoff that she knew would erupt from Zuko's throat. "And that's exactly what you are, a firebender." Zuko turned to look at her, almost stunned at how simple what she had said was, "Sure, he might have said it rudely, but that's just how Sokka is. He isn't very trusting of people…at all. Just…give him a chance, okay? Just ignore him when he says stupid things, believe me, he says them a lot." Zuko calmed down as she spoke and chuckled lightly, shaking his head,

"Ya know what? You're right." Katara looked to him, shocked,

"I am?" Zuko nodded to her, stepping forward,

"Yes, you are. C-can you meet me here tonight? After everyone else goes to bed?" Katara nodded to him lightly,

"Yea…sure" she agreed, albeit being confused. Zuko smiled lightly and nodded,

"Thanks." He turned and walked off somewhere. Katara watched him walk away, raising an eyebrow slightly in curiosity.

The rest of the day went on with a tenseness in the air.. Zuko and Katara barely shared two words with Sokka. Katara spent the rest of the morning training Aang, before Toph took over for a few hours. By the end of the day, Katara, Zuko and Sokka were at least talking to each other politely, at Iroh's urging, but again, it was only polite dinner banter. After dinner Katara sat up in her tent, waiting to be sure everyone else was asleep. When she was sure they were she snuck out quietly and made her way to where she had agreed to meet up with Zuko. She sat down on a tree stump, looking around.

"Hmm…I wonder where Zuko is." From behind her she heard the bushes rustle lightly. She jumped up, getting ready to attack. Her heart beat quickly, fearing it was Jet again. Zuko walked through, holding up a hand; in his other hand he carried a small sack.

"Take it easy Splash Girl… it's just me." Katara sighed relieved, dropping her hands down,

"Oh, good. I thought you were…" She trailed off. Zuko cocked his head to the side, catching onto the change in attitude; she had been scared, and wasn't willing to admit it.

"You thought I was Jet, didn't you?" Katara nodded lightly, sighing. Zuko stepped up to her, willing her to look at him.

"Forget about him. He's long gone, okay?" Katara nodded slightly, trying to will herself to believe him and relax.

"So…why did you wanna meet out here? And why so late?" Zuko looked to her, nodding his head in the direction he wanted to lead her,

"Come on." He began to walk. Katara looked at him, her curiosity getting the better of her, and followed along. Zuko slung the sack over his shoulders and led her along through the woods, turning back every now and then to tell her to watch out for branches or rocks or hills. At one point they came to a small cliff, about as tall as Zuko. He jumped down first and turned around to help Katara get down. She jumped down, supported by him catching her. He placed her feet back down on the ground. They stared at each other a moment, before snapping back to reality and backing up from each other, chuckling sheepishly. Zuko rubbed the back of his neck, looking down and away. Katara looked down as well,

"Thanks—"

"Don't mention it" Zuko turned and continued to walk. Katara followed along. After a few moments, Zuko spoke again,

"I found this place the when your brother and I were getting food. I walked past it but didn't look into it much." He held back a branch so she could get by and led her through an opening of the woods and onto a beach. Katara gasped and made her way to the shore, smiling.

"Wow! This is amazing!" She smiled, looking to the reflection of the moon on the water. She spun around, swirling her arms with her. Streams of water followed along with her. Zuko stood back at where they had come through, watching her. Katara turned and smiled to him,

"It's so pretty here. Thanks for showing me this."

Zuko offered a small smile in return, shrugging his shoulders.

Katara and Zuko spent the next few hours sitting on the beach, sharing stories and talking, and even more surprisingly; laughing. Zuko reached into the sack and pulled out two pieces of fruit, throwing one to Katara as he chuckled.

"Tell me again how your brother managed to get himself stuck in an igloo." Katara took a bite of the fruit and laughed, looking to Zuko.

"His little 10 year old mind thought that by throwing water on the inside walls in the middle of the night would make it freeze faster and make it stronger. And somehow he managed to close off the door and freeze himself in. We found him the next morning, blue and shivering. Gran-Gran still teases him about it." Katara giggled and took another bite of her fruit as she looked to Zuko who was laughing. She smiled watching him. After a moment Zuko looked back to her, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"What is it?" he asked Katara caught herself and shook her head to clear it, looking to the pit of her fruit.

"Oh, nothing. Just…you're laughing" Zuko raised an eyebrow,

"Yea? And?" he inquired. Katara shrugged as she shook her head;

"Nothing. You should just do it more often, you look better." Zuko snorted with laughter, putting off a sarcastic tone.

"Gee, thaaaanks." He said. Katara laughed, pushing him lightly.

"I didn't mean it like that. I mean…well…you look; handsome." She smiled to him. Zuko was surprised as he looked to her before he nodded his head in a sort of thanks.

"Heh…I know what ya meant." He paused a moment, "Thanks." Katara nodded to him lightly and chucked her pit into the ocean.

"This was actually pretty fun." Zuko said as he threw his own pit. Katara nodded in response.

"Yea…it was." She smiled to him. It had been a nice night. Katara was almost shocked, but grateful for the fact that Zuko was opening up. She yawned, trying to hide it, before she looked toward the moon. In a few more hours the sun would be rising.

"Maybe we should be heading back now…" Zuko said softly.

"Yea. Let's go." She said. Zuko stood up and offered a hand to help her up. Katara took it and smiled to him, standing up.

"Thanks"

He nodded to her, not moving just yet. Katara chuckled quietly, and he let her hand go and began to head back toward camp, Katara walking alongside him. They soon came back where they had met up, just near camp. Zuko slowed to a stop, looking to her.

"I'll just wait here for a bit." He offered. Katara nodded to him.

"Okay, good night. And thanks." Zuko nodded to her and she turned, starting to walk again. Zuko sighed and took a step forward.

"Katara…wait." She turned and looked to him, raising an eyebrow. He walked up to her, biting his bottom lip slightly. He stopped right in front of her, looking into her eyes. Katara stared back, curious as to what he was up to. Her heart began to race slightly. Zuko slowly leaned in, bending his head down. His lips stopped just before hers, his breath brushing her lips. He stayed that way for a few seconds, as if fighting with himself if he should do this, and then closed the gap, his lips brushing hers gently. Her eyes opened in shock; her heart racing even faster before she melted into the kiss, returning it. Zuko pulled away, looking to her. Katara blushed, glad for the cover of the darkness of the forest to hide her red cheeks. But she still couldn't manage to wipe the smile from her lips.

"Heh…w- good night" Zuko nodded in response to her, staying silent. Katara looked at him a moment, blushing still as she turned, and walked back to camp. Zuko sat down on the stump and looked up toward the sky, whispering,

"Good night…Katara"


	9. Chapter 9 Maybe

****Alright so if you've been around for this lately, I've been revising the chapters. as the ending a/n says I know that when I first wrote this story my writing was not the best and now I felt I should revise and edit it. Hope you all enjoy :)**  
**

****2011 Edits and revisions applied****

* * *

**Chapter 9 – Maybe**

* * *

Katara walked slowly back to the camp, her heart racing.

_"Did that really just happen?"_ She touched her lips and smiled, a blush stained her cheeks as a quiet chuckle escaped her throat. She let out a slow breath to even her heartbeat and looked up to the moonlight peeking through the treetops. Taking another breath she tip-toed back into her tent, curling back into her sleeping bag.

Zuko waited a few minutes; to ensure that Katara had made it back to camp unnoticed before walking to his own tent. He looked up at the dark ceiling and smirked to himself before turning to his side and falling asleep.

Katara woke up later than was normal for her the next morning. Normally she was up before Sokka, and this morning she woke up to find he and the guys had already gone. She yawned as she walked out of the tent, squinting against the bright sunlight, and was greeted by a smirking Toph.

"Late night Sugar Queen?" She raised an eyebrow. Katara froze for but a moment, before trying to shrug off Toph's assumption.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh really? Then why did you sneak out last night…with Zuko?" Katara gasped and looked to Toph.

"How di-" Toph tapped a foot on the ground,

"Earthbending; remember?" she said. Katara sighed as she brushed her hair back with her hand.

"Right…" Katara mentally kicking herself "_How could I have forgotten _that?_" _Toph looked to her, placing her hands on her hips.

"So, what were you doing with him?"

"Nothing. We just went for a walk…that's all." Katara said. Toph smirked.

"You're lying."

* * *

"Come on guys, let's try up here." Sokka walked up the river a bit, fishing pole in tow. Aang of course would not be fishing, but just went along for the company. Iroh nodded lightly,

"We'll be along in a moment." Zuko began to walk ahead but was stopped when Iroh pulled his arm back, holding him back. "Nephew, we need to talk." Zuko looked to him and raised an eyebrow. Iroh let his arm go, looking to him. "What were you doing out here last night with Miss Katara?" Zuko looked to him,

"We were just talking uncle, going for a walk." Iroh chuckled,

"It must have been a very long walk. You were gone for quite some time."

"Nothing happened, Uncle." Zuko said; irritated. Iroh chuckled, clapping Zuko on the shoulder gently.

"Whatever you say, nephew. Just, be nice to this one. She's special." Iroh smiled and walked ahead. Zuko hung behind, a light smile creeping onto his face, his voice barely a whisper.

"Yes…she is."

* * *

"Toph! Just drop it already!"

"Just drop what?" Aang smiled to Katara as he walked through the trees to the clearing, the rest of the group in tow. Katara turned and looked to him and she attempted to act casual.

"No-nothing."

"Oh. Okay." Aang shrugged and turned, walking toward Appa, and patting his head. Katara sighed in relief and looked to Sokka who was walking up to her with a stick filled with fish tied to it.

"Great! You guys caught something!" She put out her hands as Sokka half handed; half dropped them into her hands.

"You bet we did. And good thing too, I'm starving!" he said. Katara couldn't help but roll her eyes and turned around to clean and prepare the fish. She laid them out side by side on a clean piece of cloth and surrounded half of them in water, freezing it to keep them fresh for later and then began to clean the fish she was going to cook. Sokka sat against a tree, cleaning his boomerang. Iroh and Aang had just finished their fourth game of Pai Sho and decided to take a break for some tea, as Toph sat back against a rock, bored. Zuko stood, watching Katara attempting to start a fire. He smirked lightly and walked over, kneeling down next to her.

"Need some help?" he asked. Katara looked up to him and nodded.

"Yes, Please." She smiled to him.

"All you need to do is just light a couple twigs and light around the pit." He spoke as he demonstrated, setting the twigs up in a cone, the fire going up easily. Katara chuckled.

"Heh…it sure is easier when you've got a firebender around to help." Zuko smirked teasingly,

"Glad to know I'm good for something." He nudged her lightly and she laughed, pushing him back lightly,

"You know what I mean." They smiled to each other, chuckling.

A light growl emitted from Sokka's throat. Aang, who had sat down next to him, glanced to him,

"What's wrong Sokka?"

Sokka sighed in irritation.

"Can someone please explain to me how my sister and th-_Zuko_ are getting along so well?" The name dripped off of Sokka's tongue like acid.

"Well, they did kinda spend some time together on that island and help each other out ya know. It's only natural they'd become friends."

It was so like Aang t be so good natured and…_understanding._

"I know that…but why does it have to be with_ him_?" Sokka crossed his arms, his frown deepening.

"What's your problem with Zuko anyway? He's not all that bad you know."

Sokka looked to Aang dumbfounded.

"How can you say that Aang? That guy chased you, _us,_ for forever!"

"Well I think he was just confused; lost. He's really not that bad of a guy at all Sokka."

"Aang! How can you say that?" Sokka was shocked. Aang stood up, looking to Sokka. In his eyes there was a hint of sadness at his friend's inability to be understanding.

"No Sokka, how can _you?_" He walked away, leaving Sokka alone with his thoughts. Sokka sighed, looking down to his boomerang as Aang walked away. He turned his glance up to Katara and Zuko.

"_I haven't seen her smile like that in a while."_

"_He's a firebender."_

"_But look at her."_

Sokka huffed, watching his sister and Zuko laughing at something he had just said. He shrugged further down on the tree.

"Maybe Aang's right… I just have to give him a chance. I'll kill him if he hurts her…but he doesn't seem so bad right now. Maybe he's different… _Maybe."_


	10. Finale Jabber and a Break

Okay, so I trust we all saw the season 2 finale. All I can say is AAAAAGHHHHH!!! It was SO good, I loved it but I hated it at the same time!! I wish it had been longer!! I can't for the 3rd season to begin!!!! I am currently anti-Zuko all because of how he betrayed Iroh. He was so happy for himself and Iroh at first, and then BAM! he turned evil again!!!

I was all excited when Katara was about to heal his scar (which by the way…I thought that scene was much too rushed.) One moment Katara is freaking out on him, the next she's pouring her heart out and crying and then she's apologizing and about to heal his scar?! I knew she was nice but that was just crazy. I liked it but it was really rushed. I was all excited, waiting for her to heal his scar and BAM Iroh and Aang bust in.

And who can forget that Zuko, the wonderful boy we all thought was finally going to the good side, BETRAYED EVERYONE?! That just made me burn. Why the heck did he go to Azula's side?!

And then Aang gave up Katara…but then again I don't think he did…I don't know, it's confusing. But YAY! for Katara for healing Aang and even BIGGER YAY for Aang living! I knew it couldn't end with him out of it!

While I am TOTALLY PEEVED with Zuko for what he did, I think he still does have some good in him, because he feels very bad about betraying Iroh (what happened to him anyway?). I think he feels very bad about it all. Everything was just starting to get peachy keen with his life and then Azula showed up. Zuko seemed happy and peaceful for once, and then that conniving sister of his came and messed it all up. (if you cant tell by now I am really holding in the curse words lol)

Perhaps it was all just a ruse…to make Azula think he's on her side, when really he's just waiting for the perfect chance to over throw her? Maybe he'll finally get the lightning? That'd be pretty sweet.

I'm kinda thinking that either this was just an act between Zuko and Iroh with Azula. Or Zuko was just a HUGE IDIOT and became greedy with the possibility of going home and just went nutso and he will realize his mistake and go to the good side for good! I am really worried for Iroh. He's just gotta be okay!!! If he's not there will be HELL to pay. But I really think that in honor of Mako, they will keep on Iroh's character.

Oh!!! And HOW AWESOME was Toph's metal bending?! AHH!!

Anywho…I really don't know how I feel about Zuko right now. I'm pretty angry with the whole betraying Iroh and everyone else deal. Zuko pretty much even betrayed himself.

Well, I don't really know where I'm going with this anymore but still, was it an amazing episode or what?! I can't wait for the next season to begin? When does it begin?! Maybe Aang and company will save Iroh, and he will teach Aang firebending and they will all win the battle and Zuko will end up going back to the good side in the end (if Ozai or Azula or someone else doesn't kill him first). Who knows? It's all possible… I CANT WAIT!

Hmm…I am watching another episode now until the finale comes on again… (im watching the earth king) and noticed how in Zuko's nightmare, his scar is gone. Dream or coincidence?

After the 3rd season maybe there will be a 4th where the "gaang" helps to restore the peace all around the world… or maybe there will be a huge movie. Not a little hour long thing.. but an actual movie!! Thatd be sweet .

Anyywhoo… whew.. that was quite a discussion…

I can't quite promise a date on the new chapter. It might not be for another week or two. This new episode has kinda thrown a hitch in my thinking (even though this story takes place before that…Im just angry with zuko at the moment lol). So for now, just please wait. I promise you I wont let this story die. Thanks! And thanks for putting up with my ramblings about the episode! Lol I could have said more but held back. If you would like to talk about it more, feel free to message .


	11. Chapter 10 Parting Ways

**Hello again all! In case you're just joining in or have been around the whole time, it's a mid story note update: I've been revising all the chapters! I've been taking off old author notes, editing chapters and just plain polishing them up. Because frankly, I was younger when I started writing this and my writing wasn't as sharp. Hope you still all enjoy! **

**Also, I just wanted to thank you all for your kind reviews and for reading! **

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. **_

****2012 Edits and revisions applied****

* * *

**Chapter 10 – Parting Ways**

* * *

Katara woke up early the next morning to find Sokka, Zuko and Iroh already awake. Aang and Toph were nowhere to be seen. Iroh sat off to the side, drinking a cup of tea, while Sokka and Zuko sat looking over a map, pointing at things and bickering.

"What are you doing?" she asked. Sokka looked up to her.

"Well, since everyone is feeling better we figured we might as well get a move on to Ba Sing Se."

"And I'm telling you we want to go _this way._" Zuko cut in, jabbing his finger down to a location on the map." Sokka drew in a breath, obviously trying his best to be civil with Zuko.

"No…That way would make us do a huge swerve that we don't need to make."

"But we'd be closer to land." Zuko replied.

"There are islands all around here! We can just land on one when Appa gets tired." Sokka traced around the spot on the map.

"You can't rely on that. Who says there are islands as we get closer to the city?"

"Well why would we want to go from island to island?" Sokka snapped as he pointed to the small specks of land on the map. It was here that Iroh broke in.

"It would make more sense in my opinion. I have visited the city before. There are a few smaller islands on the way in case we need to rest." There was such finality to Iroh's suggestion that neither could fight it. Sokka sighed lightly and looked to the map,

"Alright…. We can fly as much as we can, rest and then finish the way to the city if we don't get there in the first fly." Zuko nodded lightly, and the two continued to make the plans, bickering as they went. Katara sighed and walked toward Iroh,

"Where'd Toph and Aang go?"

"They went to the creek earlier to train." Katara nodded to him,

"Thanks." She turned and walked off toward the creek.

"Come on Twinkle Toes! I know you can do better than that!" She punched her hands forward, sending a large boulder flying at Aang. He jumped up and kicked at it, busting it into thousands of pieces. He landed back to the ground and sat on his knees panting lightly, sweat running down his forehead. Toph smirked.

"Alright, you're done for the day." She turned and walked off, leaving Katara and Aang alone. Katara walked up to him, helping him to his feet.

"You're getting really good." She said. Aang smiled to her,

"Heh, thanks."

"So, would you like to work on some water bending?"

Aang smiled brightly, nodding, glad for the chance to get out of his sweaty, dirt covered clothes and dive into the cool comforting water.

"That'd be great!"

Katara laughed lightly, returning his smile. After the two had changed down into their normal water bending outfits, also known as their undergarments, Katara smirked, imitating the wise voice she would sometimes use to joke around with him during their lessons.

"Now Pupil Aang let us see if you have been practicing." She stood still a moment, watching him before throwing forward a hand, sending spikes of ice flying at him. He threw his hands up, a wall of water rising before him, blocking the spikes. He caught them in the wall and flicked his hands and the wall and spikes spun around and hurtled toward Katara. She took a step forward, and raised her right hand up, the wall splitting into two as it went over and behind her, falling back into the water.

"Alright! Not too shabby. Now…let's see how you do with…this!" Katara ran forward, raising her hands above her head, two large pillars of water rising above her. She threw her hands together in front of her, and the pillars charged at Aang. He gasped and circled his arms, a large column of water rising up from the water and under his feet, blasting him up and away from her attack. From above Katara he created a large ball of water and made sweeping motions over it, throwing large circles of ice at Katara. She blocked his attacks, bending over backwards to miss the last one that had caught her off guard. She stood back up and smiled to him as he returned back to her level. "That was great! You're almost there Aang! I can feel it." Aang smiled to her, nodding.

"Thanks Katara." He said. Katara nodded to him, squeezing the water out of her hair.

"Hmm…I guess we should start heading back soon. Sokka and Zuko are talking about leaving the island soon." Katara said. Aang perked up at the news.

"Really? That's great! We can finally get to Ba Sing Se and tell the earth king about the solar…oh…" Aang stopped himself, realizing their dilemma. "Katara?"

She sighed, nodding.

"Yea, I know. How are we going to tell Iroh and Zuko? Iroh I'm not so worried about…but Zuko…" she sighed, looking toward the sky, the sunlight catching the droplets of water in her hair, tiny little rainbows showing. Aang smiled that gushy smile to her, a light blush rising in his cheeks. After a moment he caught himself and shook his head, bringing himself back to reality. He stepped toward Katara, placing a hand on her shoulder as he smiled to her.

"Don't worry Katara, you'll figure it out. You're smart." He encouraged. She nodded to him, returning his smile.

"Thanks Aang."

"No problem. Would I say it if it wasn't true?" Aang smirked to her and she couldn't help but laugh slightly.

"No, I guess not. I'll see you back at camp." She waved goodbye and re-dressed before walking back to camp.

"Yea…see ya." Aang walked to a large boulder that sat at the edge of the water and air bended to its top. He sat down and sighed as he looked to the sky. "_Why can't I just tell her?" _Aang thought to himself before sighing agitatedly and placing his head in his hands.

"Hey Aang, how about actually sharing one of those melons instead of twirling them around?" Sokka called to Aang, who had been lying back on Appa's head, juggling a few melons with air bending.

"Sure thing." Aang flicked his fingers and a melon flew to Sokka who caught it, and took a large bite out of the fruit; juices running down his chin. Iroh chuckled at his bravado.

"You have quite an appetite." He said. Sokka looked to the elderly man and chuckled before he went back to messily eating his fruit. Toward the back of the saddle, Zuko had been teaching Katara how to play Pai Sho. She was getting the hang of it and had actually beat him in a few matches, but suspected that he had let her win.

"Alright, alright fine. One more game. And this time you actually have to try." She told the young firebender. She wanted a fair match. Zuko nodded in agreement.

"Fair enough. But what's in it for me?" he asked. Katara thought a moment,

"Well, if you win, I'll get the firewood next time we camp. If I win, you have to get the dinner." Zuko nodded, putting out a hand to shake

"Fair enough." Katara took his hand and shook it. They looked to each other, smiling lightly as a light blush rose to both their cheeks. They found their faces coming closer and closer to each other slowly. A sudden cough from Iroh snapped the two back and they backed up sharply, chuckling sheepishly. Katara looked down and then back to Zuko.

"Heh…I'll-uh-need my hand back if we're going to play." Zuko chuckled, quickly letting go of her hand and folded his in his lap.

"Oh! Uhm.. right, sorry…" Katara nodded,

"It's fine….I'll start…" She said as she reached to the board, moving her first piece. The game finished fairly quickly resulting in Zuko groaning loudly, placing his head in his hands. Katara laughed,

"Aww, don't cry ya big baby. I'll help you bring in all that firewood. It'll be hard to carry that _and_ the dinner." She teased him. Zuko looked to her and smirked.

"You're lucky I don't throw you off this giant fluff ball." He threatened in good nature. Katara chuckled, raising an eyebrow as she looked to him.

"I dare you to even try."

Zuko moved the board aside, chuckling, as he looked to her.

"Are you sure about that now?" He laughed as he leapt forward a bit, catching Katara by the waist as she had gone to stand up. She squealed in laughter, trying to escape as he tickled her sides. He laughed along with her,

"You dared me!" he defended himself. Katara laughed still, squirming to escape from his grip. Sokka looked back from Appa's head, where he had moved to sit down.

"What's going on back there?" he called out. Katara and Zuko jumped apart from each other as if they had been shocked by lightning. Zuko folded his hands behind his back as the two looked down, calling out in unison to answer Sokka, much like a pair of children in trouble with their mother.

"nothing"

Sokka "humphed" in quiet disbelief.

"Well we're about to land so take it easy." He turned back, shaking his head as he rolled his eyes. Katara looked from Zuko to Sokka confused,

"Land? What do you mean?" as far as she knew they weren't supposed to land for a few more hours. Sokka sighed annoyed.

"I mean we're in Ba Sing Sae!" he said. Katara sighed sadly, slumping back,

"Oh.."

"OH! What do you mean, "oh"? We're finally at a city! The one we need to be in!" Sokka looked back at her. Katara shook her head lightly, still looking down.

"Nothing. Just oh." She said. Sokka looked at her again, an eyebrow turning up in suspicion. He shrugged as he turned back around, leading them down into the town. As they all got off and got their things together, Aang looked to the group.

"Hey guys, I just thought of something. Where are we going to stay?" They all looked to one another; as if it were the first time the thought had occurred to them as well. Toph shrugged,

"I'm sure we can find someplace. The first thing we should do is go and talk to the earth king. Maybe _I_ can get us a place to stay." The group nodded, and Sokka took a step forward.

"Right then, to the earth king it is." He said. They were about to turn to walk when Iroh's voice stopped them.

"Nephew, I think it is time we forge our own path. Our new friends were nice enough to bring us here, and now we must move on."

Zuko turned to look at Iroh, partly astonished.

"Uncle…" He closed his mouth, and then opened it back up to say something but was stopped as Iroh raised his hand, indicating he didn't want any argument.

"Zuko, it is best we go. We will find somewhere to live here. No one knows who we are, we are free to live as we choose." He stared at Zuko who looked back to him, feeling as if Iroh's eyes were burning through him. He nodded softly with a sigh.

"Alright uncle. I-I'll say goodbye." He turned back around to face the group and nodded softly. "…thank you. For letting my uncle and I come along." He said. Surprisingly Sokka was the first to step forward and offered his hand to shake.

"No problem. It actually wasn't all that bad." He chuckled lightly, a small smirk rising on Zuko's mouth as he shook Sokka's hand. He turned his gaze to Aang and nodded to him,

"Good luck Av…Aang." Aang smiled his goofy smile to him, giving a wave.

"Thanks Zuko." He said. Toph chuckled as she stepped forward, clapping Zuko on the shoulder so hard that he actually stumbled slightly, groaning.

"See ya later ya big angry jerk! Bye Iroh!" She smiled and walked off, Sokka and Aang joining her. Katara still had not said anything, but rather stood off to the side, looking at the ground. Zuko sighed and took a step towards her; his voice soft.

"Katara…" From behind him Iroh's voice could be heard,

"Ohh, what's this? Blueberry jasmine tea?" He walked off, obviously giving the two some space.

"What's taking her so long?" Sokka turned to call out to Katara but was stopped abruptly as Toph linked arms with both Sokka and Aang, pulling them away.

"Hey, lets go this way! I think I smell food! _That should give them some time…" _She added in thought. As she pulled the two boys away, Aang looked back and sighed sadly. He had a feeling Katara harbored feelings for Zuko, and was afraid that he was right. He turned his gaze back forward, as Toph pulled him along.

Katara sighed softly as she looked to Zuko, her eyes shining lightly. He took a step forward and, to both their surprise, embraced her in a hug. After a moment he pulled back, his hands on her shoulders as he looked to her.

"Well…it's been fun." He chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. Katara looked back down and sighed. When she spoke she kept her voice in a whisper.

"It isn't fair…" She looked to him, her eyes boring into his, shining as if she were about to cry and then looked back down, hiding her face. Zuko looked to her, feeling a slight and unexpected ping of sadness in his heart. He didn't want to have to see her this way. He didn't know why he felt this way, but he hated seeing her in pain. He sighed and gently placed a hand under her chin, tilting her head to look at him. He leaned in and kissed her cheek softly, whispering into her ear.

"We will meet again Katara. I promise." She nodded lightly and looked to him before wrapping her arms around him in another hug. After a moment she stepped back, looking down

"Bye…" she kept her voice soft and turned, walking away. Zuko nodded,

"Yea…bye." He watched her walk off and catch up with her group before turning around and finding his uncle staring at nothing in particular on a cart. Iroh looked to him and chuckled lightly. Zuko raised an eyebrow to him,

"What?" Iroh shook his head, patting Zuko on the shoulder in a fatherly manner.

"Nothing at all my nephew, just the glorious scene of a young man maturing." He chuckled as he walked ahead, leaving Zuko to look at him practically dumbfounded.

* * *

"Gee Katara, what's wrong? You haven't said much of anything since we got here. I mean, I know that not being able to see the Earth King for a month is a disappointment, but still… you're just not yourself." Aang looked to her worried. After they had parted from Iroh and Zuko, the group had made its way through the city and to the Earth King's home. They tried every way they could think of to persuade the king's aides to let them talk to him about important matters about the fire nation but were brushed off. A woman named Ju Dee told them that they could meet with the king in a month, and for the time being could live within the city. They were given a rather large house; one big enough for all of them, and a large barn for Appa. A little more than a week had passed, and Katara was still moping around.

Katara shook her head as she looked to Aang,

"It's nothing really. I'm just tired is all," She stood up, "I'm going to go rest…" she said. Aang nodded lightly,

"Oh…okay. Sleep well." He watched her walk off and looked around the empty house. Sokka and Toph had gone off somewhere in the city to find food. Momo jumped up onto his shoulder, chirping t him. Aang raised a hand, scratching behind his furry friend's ears as he stared ou the window. _"Ugh…what do I do? Katara seems so sad without Zuko around… but just the thought of her with _him…_I don't like it."_ He sighed as he knelt at the window, resting his head in his arms on the windowsill. He knew it wasn't right to feel so jealous, but he couldn't stop it. _"But why can't I tell her how I feel?"_ He propped up his arms onto his elbows, slamming his forehead into his palms. "GRR! I'm so stupid!" From the side he heard Toph chuckle as she walked inside,

"Yea… you're right. People who talk to themselves out loud, out a window, _are_ pretty stupid."

"Hey! Are ya gonna help me with this? Or are ya gonna just stand around and talk?" Sokka wobbled in, carrying two large bags, balancing a third on top of them. Toph huffed in aggravation as she took the third bag, plopping it onto the table. Sokka dropped his own bags down, panting. "Thanks." He looked around the room before turning his gaze to Aang. "Where's Katara?"

"She's lying down. She said she was tired."

"She's not still moping around is she? Katara! Come out here and make-OOF!" he grunted as Toph's elbow shot into his stomach. He bent over, wrapping his arms around his stomach as he looked to Toph He wheezed in pain as he spoke. "What was that for?"

"For once I'm going to say that you could try being a little more sensitive!" she said. Sokka huffed angrily and stood back up straight. He snatched the bags from the table and headed toward the kitchen.

"Fine then! I'll make dinner myself! Better hope it doesn't burn…" he shook her head and sighed before turning toward Aang's direction.

"You shouldn't be so mopey either ya know." She told him. She was really starting to get sick of Aang's emotions depending on Katara's. Aang looked to her and shrugged innocently.

"Who's mopey? I'm not mopey."

"Hah. Says the boy who was yelling at himself. Don't worry so much. She'll come around. She just needs some time."

"I know. But I can't stand seeing Katara so…sad. And when did you turn so nice?" He looked to her and raised an eyebrow. Toph chuckled as she turned to walk to her own room,

"You're really pathetic, ya know that? But you're a good friend too. Katara's lucky." With that she walked down the hall and into her own room, shutting the door behind her. Aang looked back out the window and toward the sky. _"A good friend…hmm"_ He smiled to himself as he rested his head in his arms again, watching the clouds roll by.

* * *

RXR


	12. Chapter 11 Two Hearts Mended, Another

****2012 Revisions and Edits have been applied****

* * *

**Chapter 11 – Two Hearts Mended, Another Broken**

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In the short time that had passed, Zuko and Iroh had been hired at a teashop, and Iroh was quickly renowned as the best tea maker in the business. Business was, in a word, booming. Iroh was especially happy, but he often worried about his nephew. As time continued to pass, Zuko continued to mope.

"Nephew…you cannot continue to mope around like this. It is not good for you, or the tea." Zuko sighed, clenching his fist around the handle of the teapot he held. Iroh had always argued that moods affected how well a brew came out.

"Some things are more important than tea uncle." Came the reply. Before Iroh had a chance to say something back, Zuko turned and walked away to a table to pour a couple men their tea. Clearly, the conversation was over. Iroh chuckled as he shook his head and turned back to brew a new batch of tea. Zuko ignored the flirtatious ways of the girls who came into the shop, buying tea to not drink it, but to hopefully get a chance with the handsome boy who worked there. He often would stop in the middle of whatever he was doing, and stare out hopefully into the sky, just as he did many nights before falling asleep. Just as Katara did before she slept. She often found comfort in the fact that the two of them were somewhere, sleeping under the same moon.

Katara made her way along the streets, a basket of fruits in her hands. It was nearly noon and she was starting to feel hungry. Rather than taking a fruit she had purchased, she decided to check out the newest teashop she had heard rumors about.

"_I can spare a little extra money."_ She thought to herself as she walked into the teashop. It was quite crowded, and there were no tables left. Just as she was turning to walk out, a body collided with hers, causing both of them to fall. The owner of the body gasped,

"K-Katara?" She turned her head to look at them and gasped in return.

"Zuko?-" Just as she went to say something else but was cut off by a man from the back of the room calling out for more tea. Zuko stood up, offering a hand to help her and returned her basket to her.

"Meet me at the beach this evening." He turned and hurried off, leaving Katara standing alone, dumbfounded. Later that day, Katara had told her friends she was just going for a walk and to not wait up for her. She made her way through the maze of a city to the beach she'd gotten directions to from a kindly melon seller. She looked around to find it empty and sat down to watch the waves; the quiet was broken as a voice behind her spoke.

"Katara?"

The girl in question whipped around, and felt her heart beat quicken as she saw the boy she'd missed so.

"Zuko!" Her voice came as a breathy gasp. She ran up to him and he wrapped her into a hug, spinning her around before placing her feet back onto the ground.

"I've missed you Katara. Ever since we got off that island and split up here…I-I've thought about you…a lot." He admitted quietly. Katara smiled and blushed

"I've missed you too." She hugged him again, "I never thought I'd see you again."

Zuko pulled back from the hug, his hands on her upper arms as he looked into her eyes. He wasn't sure where this new bold honesty was coming from, but he was going to ride this wave while he still had the guts to do it.

"I'd never let that happen. I would have searched for you until I found you." He smiled to her, getting a smile in return. Katara blushed as she looked down from Zuko's gaze shyly.

"Come on…let's sit down." Zuko smiled to Katara as he took her hand and led her near the shore. She hadn't noticed until then the blanket he held in his arms and she watched as he tossed it out to unfold it, offering her a hand to help her sit down.

"So how did you end up in that teashop?" she asked him.

"It's my uncles. After everyone pretty much fell in love with my uncle's tea, the city offered him his own teashop and an apartment in the upper ring."

"That's wonderful. I'm glad everything's going so well for you." Katara smiled to him,

"Well what about you? Did you and the ava-Aang ever get to meet the Earth King?"he asked. Katara sighed as she looked down and shook her head,

"No…we won't be able to see him for a month, and that's if we're lucky."

"A month? Katara…that's too long."

She sighed and nodded,

"I know. But what can we do?" Katara said hopelessly. Zuko put a hand on her chin and gently tugged to get her to turn her gaze to him. He smiled to her warmly.

"Well maybe you could persuade him. You're very good at that. You persuaded me to be good didn't you?" They both chuckled at that. Zuko sighed, almost unsure, causing Katara to look at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Hmm? What's wrong?" her eyes searched over his face in confusion. His eyes met her's once more and he made his decision.

"Katara…" Zuko leaned in and kissed her softly. Katara felt a jolt go through her, and she closed her eyes as she returned the kiss.

* * *

"She's taking an awfully long walk."

"Well it's a big city. I'm sure she's fine. Just watch. Any minute now she'll come walking through that door. Ooh! Maybe she'll bring snacks!" Aang shook his head, annoyed with Sokka's lack of concern.

"No…I'm going out to look for her." He picked up his staff and walked out the door. Sokka merely shrugged.

"Suit yourself." He popped another rice cake into his mouth, chewing noisily.

"_Hmm…where could she have gone?_ I know! She must be near the water!" Aang smiled and opened his glider; it'd be much easier to find the beach he'd heard about from the air. Ba Sing Se was a large city, but there was one edge, completely secluded from the rest, that was quite beautiful. Aang was about to land down on the shore when he stopped, seeing two figures locked in a kiss. The girl's arms were wrapped around the guy's neck, his own arms around her waist, a hand resting on her back. Aang squinted through the dim light of the setting sun and gasped, "_Katara…"_ He blinked back the tears that threatened to fall. It felt like a brick had landed in his stomach. "She really does love him…" He turned, glancing back "good for you Katara…." Aang sighed, feeling his heart breaking even more as he said the words. He turned back toward the town, glancing back only once before making his way back toward their house.

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**This one's a bit shorter than the others yes, but it doesn't mean it's not as good :)**

RxR


	13. Chapter 12 Maybe Tomorrow

****2012 Revisions/Edits applied****

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**Chapter 12 – Maybe Tomorrow**

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Aang slunk his way into the house, his head still hung low. He let out a long, sad sigh.

"Hey…what's wrong Aang?" Sokka looked to his friend, worried.

"Nothing." Aang sniffled, wiping his nose on his sleeve.

"Aang, I don't need to be an earth bender to know you're lying. Something's wrong."

"I said I'm fine!" Aang turned and ran down the hallway. Sokka sighed, exchanging glances with Toph as he stood up and walked down the hall. He found Aang face down on his bed, not saying a word.

"Aang?"

"She loves him Sokka…she loves him and there's nothing I can do about it. I saw them Sokka." He sniffled again. Sokka sighed as he sat on the bed. He knew this moment would come soon enough.

"You saw them?" he asked. Aang nodded.

"Yea… I saw Zuko and Katara…together…"Aang sat up, hanging his legs over the edge of the bed. "It's just…_wrong!_ I love her too! I loved her first! And then suddenly Mr. Angry Jerk comes strolling into the picture and Katara falls head over heels for him and forgets all about me! It's not fair…it's just not fair…" Aang huffed as he threw his fists onto the mattress. Sokka looked to his friend, feeling bad for him. He was really at a loss for words. He placed a hand on Aang's shoulder.

"Aang…I-" Sokka paused. He really didn't know what to say to his heartbroken friend. "I'm sorry" He sat there a moment more before standing up and walking out. He knew Aang would want to be alone for now. Sokka made his way back to the table and sat down, waiting for Katara. It was about a half an hour or so later when she finally came strolling in, a light smile on her face. The house was dark and she thought it would be a better idea to sneak into bed through the dark, to not wake anyone. She started toward the hall but was stopped by a voice,

"Have a good night Katara?"

She turned to see Sokka sitting at the table. He turned up the lantern, its dim light just reached out to the door. She looked to him, trying to hide her nervousness.

"Oh…hi Sokka."

"Don't 'hi Sokka' me. Do you have any idea where Aang is right now?"

"In his room sleeping probably."she shrugged, confused as to why Sokka was asking her for Aang's whereabouts.

"More like _crying_." Sokka stood up, speaking through the "what" Katara had peeped out. "He saw you Katara…he saw you with Zuko and he's hurt."

"What? Why would he be hurt? He's my best friend…"

"To you, maybe, Katara. But to him it's something more. He loves you! Are you _ever_ going to get that through your head?" Katara stood there, opening her mouth and then closing it. She didn't know what to say. "He's crushed Katara…maybe instead of sitting here with your mouth like a fish you should go and talk to Aang." Sokka sneered at her slightly before turning and walking away. He didn't know what made him angrier at the moment and needed to walk away from his own sister. Katara stood there for a moment longer, before she turned and headed toward Aang's room. She knocked on the door softly.

"Aang?" She waited a moment and knocked again when there was no answer. "Aang can I come in?" She opened the door slowly.

"What do you want?" Acid dripped from Aang's tongue as he said it, shocking Katara.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing. Sokka told me you…weren't feeling well." Katara stood at the doorway, not moving.

"What do you care?"

"Aang. I…"

"Just leave me alone!" Aang flicked his foot from where he lay on his bed and a gust of wind sent the door slamming in Katara's face. She gasped, shocked at his action, and she turned and walked to her own room. She'd talk to him the next morning, and could only hope for the best. When she got to her room she plopped onto her bed and sighed. Rolling onto her side she looked out the window to the night sky. She smiled lightly at memories of her night with Zuko, only to feel a sharp pang in her stomach, and heart, of hurting Aang.

"I never meant to hurt you Aang…I'm sorry." She rolled to her other side and closed her eyes. "_Maybe if I talk to him tomorrow…maybe he'll forgive me." _


	14. Chapter 13 Friends Again

**2012 Revisions and Edits Applied**

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**Chapter 13 – Friends Again**

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Katara woke up the next morning after a restless sleep and turned on her side to look out the window. She sighed and sat up slowly, brushing her hair back from her face before tying it back into its normal style. She sat there a moment, just listening. From her room she could just make out the sounds of Toph and Sokka talking in the kitchen, most likely both fighting about who would get the last whatever it was to eat. She stood up and walked out of her room, pausing for a moment to look at Aang's door. It was still closed, and no sounds came from the other side. She sighed and walked to the kitchen, looking to Toph sitting at the dining table.

"Well well, looks like Sugar Queen is finally up. And it's a good thing, Sokka was about to eat yours and Aang's breakfast." Toph threw Katara a mango before sitting back in her chair, resting her feet on the table. Katara didn't say anything and sat down, staring at the mango in her hand. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…I'm just worried about Aang." Katara placed the mango onto the table.

"What happened to him now?"

"You mean Sokka didn't tell you?"

"Uhhmm…if he did would I be asking you?"came the girl's reply. Katara looked to her,

"No…I guess not. Well…" Katara relived the events of the previous night, answering the few questions Toph had. Sokka walked out of the kitchen and sat down at the table, looking to Katara.

"Did you say anything to him?"

"Last night…but he slammed the door in my face. I never seen him act so…_cold._"

"Well, what happened was pretty harsh ya know."

"I guess. It's just-" Katara stopped, seeing Aang walk into the room.

"Good morning Aang." She said. He gave no reply, and grabbed the last mango from the basket on the table, taking a large loud bite out of it.

"Can we talk?" Again he gave no response. Katara looked from Toph and Sokka and then back to Aang. "Look Aang, I'm really sorry. Can't we just go for a walk or something…just let me explain."

"I'm not really in the mood for any talking _Katara_. Not to _you_." Aang turned and walked out the front door. Katara sighed and looked down to her lap.

"Alright then, fine, I'll handle this." Toph stood up and made her way outside to find Aang sitting on the short wall of the porch. "Well hey there Twinkle Toes."

"Hi Toph…" Aang mumbled, looked at the one bite in his fruit, folding his legs up to sit cross-legged.

"Are you really going to sit here like this all day? I may be blind, but I'd have to be stupid to not know you're sitting there moping." Toph crossed her arms. Aang didn't say anything for a moment, and then placed the fruit on the other side of him for Momo to nibble on.

"I can't believe Katara would do that!"

"What? Kiss angry boy?" Toph walked forward to stand next to Aang, resting her arms on the low wall. "It was pretty obvious something was going to happen between them ya know."

"It's still not fair."

"What's not fair? That your friend is happy? Or that the person you care about doesn't even notice how you feel? Yea…'cause that's really unfair. Boy do I feel sorry for you." Toph's voice was filled with sarcasm.

"What?"

"You really are stupid, aren't you?"

"What do you mean stupid?" Aang looked to her,

"Nothing, forget I said anything at all." Toph turned to walk away.

"Hey wait…aren't we supposed to train?" he asked, figuring that was the only reason she came out here in the first place. Toph stopped and turned back to Aang who had hopped off the wall and back onto the porch.

"Yea…sure." Toph slid her heel forward, a large rock jutting up from under Aang, sending him flying back. He caught himself with a quick air-bending trick, stopping himself from slamming into the ground. By the time he had stood back up, Toph and the large rock had disappeared. Aang sat there another moment, puzzled, when all of a sudden, it all became clear.

He wasn't exactly ready to give up his hope on Katara, but the more sensible side of him realized that maybe it was all better this way. That same sensible voice kicked at him to get his rear in gear. He didn't have to make any rash decisions; but he could start with at least being nice.

"Ohh…oh!" Aang smacked his forehead. "I really am an idiot!" Aang air-lifted himself to his feet, looking up and down the street. He turned and hurried inside, looking out the windows. He spotted her in the backyard and walked through the door and down the steps over to her. Toph sat under a tree, spinning a piece of long grass between her fingers.

"What do you want, Twinkle Toes?"

"Hey Toph…I was just wondering, if you'd like to hang out later? You know, without training? To just have fun?" he asked. Toph shrugged lightly,

"Sure, whatever." She shrugged. Aang smiled, nodding,

"Great! Well, see ya later! I gotta go talk to Katara!"

"Whatever." Toph turned her head from the direction she could feel Aang, hiding the smile that had made its way onto her face. Aang ran inside and to Katara's room, knocking on her door.

"Katara! We need to talk!" After a few seconds Katara opened the door, looking to him.

"What is it Aang?" Her voice was calm and kind.

"I'm sorry!" he practically shouted. Katara cocked her head to the side slightly,

"Hmm?"

"I'm really really sorry Katara. I overreacted and acted like a total jerk." Aang hung his head. "I feel really bad, especially if I hurt your feelings. I guess I just wasn't ready for you and Zuko…to…you know."

"Aang…" Katara's voice was soft as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Aang looked up to her.

"I've always really liked you, ya know." He blushed as he said it, smiling lightly, "But…I'm glad that I can still have you as a friend."

"Oh Aang," Katara enveloped him into a hug, "No matter what, you'll always have a special place in my heart." She smiled to him, relieved to see a smile returned. "So, did you want to practice some water bending?"

"Actually, I've gotta go wash up. Toph and I are going to hang out. See ya later Katara!" Aang turned and hurried off to his own room.

"Oh…okay. Later then." Katara couldn't help but smile, watching him hurry to his room. "_Good for you Aang, good for you."_

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"**In darkest times, hope is something you give yourself." Uncle Iroh**


	15. Chapter 14 A Nightly Outing

**Byebye old Author's Notes, hello new ones! **

**I own nothing!**

**(2012 Revisions and Edits Applied)**

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**Chapter 14 – A Nightly Outing**

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"So, where to?" Aang asked Toph. The pair had just left the house and turned down the street to head into the heart of the city. Toph shrugged, shaking her head.

"I dunno. How about something to eat? I'm starved." She rubbed her stomach as it growled.

"Great idea! Let's go!" Aand was glad that Toph had made the decision. They soon came upon a tiny little restaurant and a waiter led them to a table, handing them each their menus.

"Oh boy, a bunch of pages with writing. How fun." Toph snorted as she threw the menu down on the table. The waiter picked up the menu, turning to Aang.

"And what can I get for you sir?"

"Hmm…I'll have this garden green salad please?"

"Excellent choice. And for your girlfriend?"

"I'm not his girlfriend." Toph said; her voice was low and dangerous.

"Now now, no reason to be shy about it. Plenty of couples come in here all the time to eat and-" he was cut off as Toph grabbed him by his collar roughly, pulling him down to face level.

"I said; I'm _not_ his girlfriend."

"Right…ahem…of course. My apologies." His voice wavered and he stood up as soon as Toph let him go.

"And I'll have the steak." She said as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

"Right…good choice…I'll be back soon." The waiter turned and hurried off, crashing into another waiter carrying a tray of dirty dishes. There was a loud crash as the dishes rained down on the dizzied waiters. This earned a loud, appreciative laugh from Toph, who was soon joined in by Aang.

"You know what Toph? This is the first time we've ever actually hung out. I mean, I know we've spent tons of time riding all over the world on Appa, but any other time we're either training or fighting. We've never actually just hung out. It's kinda nice." He said. Toph smirked lightly, nodding, shocked that she agreed.

"Ya know what Twinkle Toes? It actually is."

After the two finished their meals, they made their way through the streets, buying useless sugar candies and trinkets they didn't really need but rather wanted for amusement. They continued on, passing a row of streets and shops. Up ahead there was a large, loud group in front of a building.

"Hmm…wonder what's going on?" Toph wondered aloud as the vibrations from so many people scrambled her senses.

"I dunno. I can't see anything."

"Probably some stupid thief." Toph chuckled, and the two moved on, leaving the group behind as they continued on with their night.

* * *

Katara moved another round game piece on the board, she studied it then, looking for any other possible moves. Sokka walked in; his mouth full of some sort of food, a large loaf of bread and a bag of some sweets in his arms.

"Hey Katara…what's up?" he asked . Katara rolled her eyes at her brother's full mouth and the crumbs falling out everywhere.

"Do you always have to eat like such a Tigerdillo?"

"A Tigerdillo?" Sokka mumbled through his full mouth. Katara laughed.

"Well…you're lazy and you eat…a lot. And when you're hungry you get miserable." She teased. Sokka stepped toward her, shaking a hand full of bread at her.

"I'll show you lazy! I'll-" Suddenly someone pounded on the outside of the door.

"Katara! Katara open up!" a voice shouted. Katara hurried to the door and opened it, revealing a disheveled and panting Zuko. It was obvious that he had run all the way across town.

"Zuko? What's wrong?" Katara stepped aside and opened the door the rest of the way letting Zuko inside. He looked behind him, making sure he hadn't been followed and slammed the door shut and locked it before he leaned against it, struggling to gain his breath.

"Jet's here."

"What!" Sokka's food spurted from his mouth as he coughed, wiping his mouth off. Katara turned to look back to Zuko, leading him to a chair.

"Here…just sit down a minute, catch your breath." She led a stream of water from the pitcher on the table to a cup, handing it to Zuko. He drank it down greedily, his breath returning back to normal.

"Jet came…to the tea shop. He started shouting that my uncle and I are fire benders! He wouldn't leave and he challenged me to a fight."

"What?"

"He kept accusing us of being fire benders,"

"But…you are fire benders." Sokka said, completely befuddled that Zuko was upset about being accused of being something that he was.

"I know. But we can't let anyone else around _here_ know that. But Jet was just determined. He was totally crazy…even worse than back on the island. He just wouldn't stop. He kept fighting me, and busted up the shop. Finally some guards came and took him away."

"Well he's gone then. Problem solved, happy ending." Sokka stated simply from his seat.

"Maybe, I don't know. Something just, didn't seem right." Zuko said.

"What do you mean?" Katara asked.

"Something wasn't right about him. It was like he just couldn't focus…like something had taken him over. Those friends of his were in the coffee shop too."

"The ones that dumped him on the island?" Katara looked to him.

"Hah! Some friends." Sokka snorted. Zuko ignored him, nodding to Katara.

"Yea. They ran over and tried to stop him, telling him he need to stop this crazy quest to get rid of fire benders or he was going to end up hurt. But he just pushed them aside, yelling how all he needed to do was get rid of "fire nation scum" and become the hero that ended the war. And then he rambled something about the war and that _we_ were to blame for it…that was when the guards started coming. He put up a fight though. It was like he was just…so determined. The guards dragged him away before he could make any more of a scene. It was like they had something to hide."

"Yea we noticed that too…No one likes to talk about the war around here." Katara stated, glancing out the window and then back to Zuko.

"Hey yeah! Remember Ju Dee? She acted like there was no war at all. It was kinda creepy." Sokka noted, looking to the two.

"What do you mean?" Zuko looked from Katara to Sokka and back, confused.

"After we arrived here, this lady named Ju Dee gave us a tour of the town and showed us where we'd be living."

"Every time we tried to tell her we needed to tell the Earth King important information about the war she'd just ignore us, and keep talking about the town and all its "pleasures." Sokka continued for Katara, rolling his eyes at "pleasures". "This town isn't even all that great anyway."

"It's weird… something's just not right." Zuko sat back in his chair. "Hey…where's Aang and Toph?"

"Oh, they went out." Katara smirked lightly.

"No kidding. Heh…well, good for them." They fell into silence; Zuko continued to look around, his shoulders tense.

"Zuko? You okay?" Katara's voice broke through the quiet. He shrugged.

"I guess. Just, what if someone believes Jet? Uncle and I will be thrown in jail, if not worse. Just when we're finally free of Azula."

"Don't worry. You guys have a good life here. No one would suspect you of anything." She encouraged. He sighed, nodding.

"I hope you're right. Still, there's just something that's not right about this town."

"I know what you mean." Sokka looked to him. "There's something about it I just don't trust." His gaze turned out the window, following a small group of people as they passed by.

* * *

"Wow. It's getting late. We should be getting back." Aang hopped off the edge of the fountain they had been sitting on, throwing the empty stick of his candied apple away. Toph didn't move from where she sat, twirling the half eaten apple on its stick in her hands.

"Yeah, I guess so." She sighed softly; apparently something was on her mind. Aang nodded and turned, starting back for the house. He didn't get very far at all before he heard Toph's voice behind him.

"Hey Twinkle Toes?"

"Yeah?" He turned back to look at her, and was caught up in a hug.

"Thanks. This was fun." Toph smiled lightly. "We need to hang out more often." She chuckled lightly as she stepped back before placing a friendly but Toph-esque punch into his arm.

"Yea…we do. Come on. It's getting late." He turned, walking toward the house as Toph followed alongside him; her candied apple lay half eaten and forgotten on the fountain's edge.


	16. Chapter 15 The Escaped

**I know, I know…it's been a LONG time. A really LONG time. I've just been amazingly busy and then I got sidetracked by the few other stories I wrote. Not to mention the GIANT writers block I had lol. Anyway, the block finally went away, and here we are **

**On a second note: everyone has been amazing, I'm loving all these wonderful reviews THANKYOU! And thank you for not getting annoyed with my breaks between stories. **

**If you may or may not have noticed, I actually wrote some other fics/one shots in the past few days. One Kataang/Sukka, and a Tokka. I have a Zuko/Toph in the works as well. I have all this inspiration for a bunch of stories and I love it! Lol .**

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Chapter 15 – The Escaped 

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The next morning Sokka and Katara made their way out of the house to meet up with Zuko and his uncle to help them clean up the recently trashed teashop. Katara and Sokka had told Aang and Toph about what Jet had done and how he had been taken away. Aang and Toph had opted to stay home and practice a bit of earthbending in the backyard. After a while Toph moved to sit under the tree, ordering Aang to go through a series of earth bending stances. After almost half an hour of Toph coaching him to do it again and again Aang sighed and wiped an arm across his forehead before turning to look to her, dropping both his arms to his sides.

"Toph? Can't I stop now?" she smirked lightly.

"Fine. _But_ only if you can block an attack without air bending." From where she sat she kicked her heel forward, sending a rock shooting up from the grass and sliding towards him. He stood ready and punched a hand down as it came upon him, splitting the rock in two, the two pieces skidding past him on either side. "Much better." She smirked. Aang couldn't help but smile and bowed, folding his hands,

"Thank you Sifu Toph." This gained a laugh from Toph

"Just take a break you loser." He smiled to her and started towards the large tree she sat under. From the roof came a dark voice,

"Well, well, well. Hello Avatar." Aang turned his gaze to see a shadowy figure jump from the roof and walk over to him. The shadows passed over his face as he stepped into the light.

"Jet!" Aang growled lightly as he stood into a fighting stance. From behind him, Toph stood up. Jet turned his gaze to her, smirking.

"Well. I see you've got yourself a girlfriend. I guess that means Katara's free." Aang glared at him and sidestepped a bit, closer to Toph. "This one's pretty cute too. How about me and you get out of here?" he looked to Toph and took a step forward. Aang stepped in front of Toph before she had a chance to react and stood, ready to fight.

"Don't you dare touch her. Don't even talk to her." Jet smirked lightly,

"Oh. Are you going to fight me Avatar?"

"Just give me one reason why I shouldn't. You've tried to kill a whole town Jet, and I'm pretty sure you've already taken the lives of other innocent people. You've hurt my friend, and you lied to all of us. You used us like pawns in your sick little game." It didn't really dawn on Aang that Toph hadn't stepped in yet, but for now she was just listening in on this little spat, standing behind Aang's outstretched arms. She wasn't sure if it was to keep her from moving forward or to keep Jet from coming after her. Whatever it was, she wasn't complaining. She was, however, a little lost, as she had never met Jet before. She had heard a few stories but that was all. Aang's eyes opened a bit wider as he came to a realization.

"Hey…wait a minute…I thought you were taken away?"

"You're insane. Why would I be taken away? I haven't done anything wrong…yet."

"What's the matter with you Jet? Have you lost your mind?"

"Hah. Not at all. I'm perfectly sane. Now, surrender, so I won't be forced to fight you."

"Like you could even win!" Toph shot back, wiping a foot across the ground, causing it to rumble lightly under Jet. Aang smirked and took a step forward.

"You'd just be locked away again Jet."

"Oh really? You sound so sure of yourself." From behind Aang felt a hand on his shoulder as Toph spoke lightly,

"Aang. Something isn't right."

"What was that?!" Jet drew his hook swords in a flash, pointing one at her. As soon as he did Aang threw a hand back, sending Jet flying backwards in a large gust of air. Jet regained his footing and stood up, charging toward the two under the tree.

At the teashop, Katara, Zuko, Sokka and Iroh continued to work away, cleaning up broken glass, righting tables and chairs and sweeping up. Sokka and Zuko had managed to fix a broken table while Katara bended water around the inside, cleaning up the floors. A couple of men made their way into the shop, nodding to the group and sat down.

"I just don't get it. How does someone just disappear, without anyone seeing them? It doesn't make any sense…" Iroh walked to the men,

"Can I help you gentlemen?"

"Oh yes…how about some of your ginseng tea? It's pretty good." Iroh smiled, bowing his head.

"It is always a pleasure to know my customers are happy." He turned, walking back to the kitchen. The men looked around, seeing that the rest of the group wasn't looking their way they continued on with their conversation.

"So no one had seen him escape? Or heard anything? At all?"

"Not at all. It makes no sense. He was being guarded all night. And it didn't look like there was any struggle or forced escape."

"You thinking it's an inside job?"

"I-" the man paused as Iroh returned with their tea, starting up again when he was sure he was out of earshot. "I can't really say for sure. But its possible." It was with that that Katara had tapped Zuko on his shoulder, motioning slightly to the men at the table. With a nod of his head he motioned to the kitchen and Sokka followed suit.

"It sounds like one of their prisoners escaped."

"Someone heavily guarded too." Sokka looked up to the two, and by the looks on their faces he knew they were thinking the same thing.

"You don't think…"

"I think we'd better get home. Now."

"I'm coming." Zuko turned and walked out to find his uncle. He gave him a quick rundown and turned, leaving with Katara and Sokka. Once they made it to the streets they broke into a run, heading towards the house.

"You can't beat me!" Jet ran ahead again, dodging a rock Toph had sent off and moved to tackle Aang. He was just inches away when he was sent back by a rock. Aang turned to Toph with a light smile.

"Thanks."

"Just repaying the favor." Jet turned, and threw a knife toward the two. It was shot off to the side with a loud ring as a ball of ice hit it. In the doorway to the back porch stood Zuko, Sokka and Katara, all ready in fighting stance. Jet turned, smirking to Katara.

"Why hello there. Katara."

"Shut up Jet." Katara spat, sending a rope of water his way. It smacked him in the side of the head and he charged toward her. She jumped off the stairs, ignoring Zuko's and Sokka's calls to her and threw her arms out, sending a wave of water from the small pond in the backyard and into Jet. It slammed into his chest as she sent him backwards into a tree, freezing him there.

"Let me go!"

"I don't think so." Aang and Toph made their way to the rest of the group, seeing Jet frozen against the tree. He struggled, attempting to get free.

"Heh, well doesn't this look familiar?" Katara put a finger to her chin in mock thought before dropping her hands back down, ready to attack again if needed. "How did you escape?"

"Escape from what?"

"Don't you lie to me!"

"Katara…I don't think he remembers anything."

"He's probably lying!"

"He isn't lying." Everyone's eyes turned to Toph. "I can tell when people are lying by feeling the vibrations of their heart rate. And Jet's hasn't changed. He isn't lying because he really thinks what he's saying is the truth. He doesn't remember ever being locked up or even being taken away. He's been brainwashed." It was Jet's turn now to receive a full group gaze.

"I don't trust you, and I don't like you. But if this is the only way to see what's really going on here then I guess we're just going to have to put up with this." Zuko's grip tightened around Jet's shoulders, pulling him back into the chair once more as Jet attempted to get away. Sokka and Zuko had shoved Jet, who bound up by ropes of water so he couldn't get away, into the house. One in the kitchen Zuko had shoved him down to sit in a chair, gripping his shoulders harshly and pulling him back, making it even harder for Jet to move.

"So. How did you get out?" Aang looked to him, arms crossed.

"What are you talking about? I've told you, I was never in any sort of jail or anything."

"Lying isn't gonna get you anywhere." Sokka piped in, sitting back against the table.

"I told you he isn't lying. He's confused." Toph stood in front of Jet, a few feet away, feet spread out shoulder width apart, feeling for anything.

"Whose confused? Let me go!" he struggled once more to just be restrained by Zuko.

"Not until we figure out what's going on!" Katara stepped forward and moved to stand behind Jet. She bended some water from the water sack on her side and wrapped it around her hands. She moved to place her hands on either side of Jet's head and was stopped as Zuko cleared his throat, giving her a look that asked her just what she thought she was doing. Katara kept her voice low, looking to him.

"I've got to Zuko. This is the only thing that might help." He sighed and nodded, stepping away. Katara turned back to Jet as she stood behind his chair. "Just relax…try to remember anything." She placed a hand on either side of his head, the water glowing and swirling. Jet closed his eyes, the water having a cooling, calming effect. The images made their way to his head, flashing back through his mind.

_He looked around in the dark room, seeing only a dim flickering light from a torch on the wall far from where he sat in his cell. He sighed angrily and looked down. From the door came a cool female voice. _

_"I can get you out of here. All you need to do, is do me a little favor in return." The images flashed again to a dark room with a strange light circling around him. In the center of the room stood a dark figure. She took another step up, her features showing for the first time in the dim lighting. She was a fit young woman, with pale skin and dark raven hair. Her amber eyes hid some sort of secret as she smirked, almost evilly._

_"The Avatar and his friends are in town. I need you to dispose of them."_

Jet gasped, a light sweat running down his face and Katara pulled away, leading the water back into her water sack.

"Some girl let me out of the cell. She said I needed to do a favor for her. And…then I was in some strange room with a light. She, she looked a lot like you actually." He turned his gaze to Zuko. "Just paler and more sinister. Her eyes were the worst. So cold…"

"Azula."

"Jet…where did they take out?" Katara came around to stand with the rest of her friends, looking to Jet. He shook his head.

"I can't remember. It was underground somewhere. It was too dark and wet not to be."

"Hey wait a minute! Didn't Ju Dee say she went on a vacation to some lake?" Sokka stood up, looking around.

"That's it! Lake Laogai."

"Come on. We've got to talk to my uncle." Zuko turned, leading Katara out of the front door. The rest of the group followed suit, leaving Jet in the middle to watch him closely. Sokka was still untrusting, as he was sure most of the others were as well.

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**haha…poor Jet, no one really likes him, and he's been brainwashed so many times. You almost gotta feel sorry for him. He's probably lost so many brain cells by now. Lol **

**RxR please. . And be sure to check out the other stories I've written. **


	17. A Note and a Teaser

**OH MY GOODNESS!! If there's anyone left out there, THANK YOU. I am SOO SORRY this has taken SO LONG. Life got really busy with final reports for school and what not. **

**So anyway…for a treat, I'm going to give you all a quick little teaser into the upcoming chapter to keep you all interested. Once again, thank you SO MUCH for not leaving me! **

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When Love Comes Softly

_He pouted, slumping against the tree as he sat, folding his arms across him. _

_"We may be able to trust him but that doesn't mean I have to like him."_

_She giggled lightly, sitting down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. He looked to her, raising an eyebrow_

_"What's so funny here?" She smirked, looking to him, _

_"You're cute when you pout." He looked at her a moment before breaking into a small smile himself, kissing her forehead lightly and wrapped her into his arms. _

……………


	18. Chapter 16

**I know! It's been forever and I apologize. Things with school and my play got CRAZY but now that's all over and I'm back!!! Hope y'all don't hate me lol.**

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Chapter 16 – New Allies 

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When the group arrived to the teashop they led Jet through the back entrance. Sokka practically slammed Jet into a sitting position on a chair while Zuko went to the front to find his uncle. The shop was closed for lunch and Iroh had been enjoying a cup of hot tea. They all recited the story once more, in as much detail as they could, Jet of course had the most to tell. When they had all finished Iroh rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"It is entirely possible that you were brainwashed. I never trusted the Dai Li to begin with. And if Azula is behind this all, then who knows what's really going on." Zuko nodded lightly.

"Its hard to tell exactly what Azula has planned next."

"We'll have to be sure to watch our backs. They're sneaky…very sneaky." Jet spoke somberly. Zuko gave him a look that said, "no one asked you" and turned back to his Uncle.

"So what now?"

"Well, it seems we have a new member of our team. He's the only one to have been to Lake Laogai, so he'd know the most about it." Most of the gazes now turned to Toph. She stood next to Aang, saying nothing for a moment until Aang gently nudged her.

"You're all staring at me…aren't you?" She sighed, placing a hand on the ground to feel the vibrations emitting from Jet's feet. "He's not lying…he hasn't been about anything."

"So we can trust him?" Aang looked to her and she nodded,

"We can trust him." Zuko huffed and turned, walking out to the small backyard of the teashop. Katara looked around the group before walking out, following Zuko.

"Zuko?"

"I don't like this Katara…not at all." She stepped up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder to get him to turn around and face her.

"What?"

"_This_. Jet joining in with us. He almost hurt you Katara…what if he tries again? What if he actually does?"

"I've never heard you like this Zuko…"

"He's about as sneaky as Azula!"

"But Toph says we can trust him, and I know she's right."

He pouted, slumping against the tree as he sat, folding his arms across him. "We may be able to trust him but that doesn't mean I have to like him."

She giggled lightly, sitting down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. He looked to her, raising an eyebrow

"What's so funny here?" She smirked, looking to him,

"You're cute when you pout." He looked at her a moment before breaking into a small smile himself, kissing her forehead lightly and wrapped her into his arms.

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It's a short chapter…I know. But I promise I'll write more soon! I just had to get a bit out there for everyone! 

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	19. Chapter 17 Learning

**Sorry if that last chapter wasn't the best. I wasn't exactly proud of it myself…but I needed a little something there. Now…its gonna start getting fun .  
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Chapter 17 – Learning 

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When it was nearing evening, Iroh closed up the tea shop so their small, and maybe not so happy team, could reconvene for dinner and to make their plans of what exactly they would do next. Zuko took a long sip of his tea before speaking.

"If Azula's in the city there's no telling just what she may try. Or why she's even here in the first place."

"We could warn the king about her too." Katara piped in. Sokka's sarcastic laugh was heard from the other side of the table.

"Yea. If we ever get to see him."

"You still haven't heard anything from him?" Iroh's worried gaze looked to the children as they shook their heads. Iroh frowned, rubbing his chin.

"Something about this isn't right."

"The Dai-Li are planning something." All looks shot to Jet now as he continued. "Its like they always have been. They're secretive…plotting. It's like they're trying to hide something. We need to be sure to be prepared incase anything happens."

"But what about Aang? He still needs to learn fire bending." Iroh smiled to Katara's question and looked to Zuko. Aang gulped, shaking his head.

"Oh no…no I'm fine. Really. Who needs to learn firebending?" Katara placed a soft hand on his shoulder. Her voice was soft,

"Aang…you know you need to learn firebending." He sighed, nodding.

"I know…it's just hard…you know…" He trailed off looking to Katara who smiled sadly to him. They both remembered the last time Aang had tried firebending, and what had happened because of it.

"I'm sure my nephew would not mind helping you with your training. Zuko?" Zuko swallowed his dinner, nodding. He turned his gaze to Aang.

"Sure. Just be sure to get a good sleep. We start early tomorrow morning." Aang rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"N-no problem…."

That night, everyone had opted to sleep at the house Aang and his friends had been granted. There were, after all, more than enough rooms for everyone. Quite late that night, the door to Aang's room creaked open. He awoke with a jolt to his shirt being thrown at his head.

"Get up." said the quiet low voice. Aang rubbed his eyes, squinting through the darkness. A figure stood in the doorway; a small flame in his hand just barely illuminated his face.

"Zuko? What time is it?"

"It's a few hours till dawn. I told you to be up early." Aang groaned.

"This isn't exactly early…its still late."

"Just get up and meet me in the back yard will you?" and with that, Zuko turned and walked out. Somehow, Aang just knew, this was not going to be a very good morning.

"Again!" Zuko shouted as Aang threw his hands forwards once more, shooting off a small ball of fire. All morning long the two had focused on breathing and stances. Soon after, the two began to grow both bored and agitated and Zuko moved on to show Aang how to control a small flame and conjure up a ball of fire. For the past hour now they had been practicing on shooting a target. And by practice, it was meant that Aang would constantly go through stances and moves as Zuko yelled at him. Katara and Toph had sat outside to watch the…festivities. The fireball hit the tree and Aang bent over, panting slightly.

"Good. Again!" he sighed as Zuko called out.

"Enough already! Just take a break." It would be a surprise if the group hadn't been surprised that the source of the voice came not from Katara, but rather Toph. Zuko was about to open his mouth to snap something back but was stopped as Katara hurried over and placed a hand on his arm.

"Maybe Toph's right…you guys have been working all morning." She looked to Aang, who gave her a grateful smile before turning her gaze to Zuko. He looked at her a moment before breaking into a small grin and nodded.

"I guess you're right. Besides…we've been out here so long that I'm starving." Katara laughed, taking his hand.

"Well come on then, let's go eat some breakfast." Aang waited for the two to walk inside, and to catch his breath before walking over to Toph.

"Thanks. A lot." Toph smirked, shifting over a bit so he could sit under the tree with her.

"Hey…no one can torture you but me." She smirked as the two broke into a laugh. Aang leaned back against the tree, yawning.

"What's the matter Twinkle Toes? Tired?" she nudged him.

"Just a little…"

"Well why don't ya take a nap then?" Aang smirked playfully.

"Maybe I will." He leaned over, resting against her and closing his eyes.

"Uhh…Twinkle Toes? What do you think you're doing?" Aang didn't move as he spoke

"Taking a nap."

"Against me?"

"Yup."

"Oh…okay then." She smirked as she leaned her own head against his, closing her eyes for a nap. And though the two wouldn't admit it just yet, sitting there together like that, just felt right.


	20. Chapter 18 Losing, Learning & Gaining

**So I had a chapter 18... and a chapter 19. Then at the beginning of June I went to Disney World. I planned to post a chapter once a week... Hence why I wrote 2 chapters. But GASP I lost my flash drive. I forgot my original ideas and had to write again from scratch. And being so busy with theatre and other things...I haven't had time. Sorry! BUUUUT!...last week I was cleaning my bedroom and was cleaning my closet when I came across an old purse. Emptying it out I felt something...odd...between the inner and outer linings. Turns out...there was a hole in the inner lining of my purse; through which my flash drive had fallen and I found it there! HURRAY!!  
**

**_But...here is the newest chapter. Thank you to all who have stuck with me, thank you for the reviews, thank you for your support, and just thanks for reading. Please tell your friends .  
_**

**_This chapter is dedicated to _**XxMidnightWolfxX, **_for the wonderful review on my story Home, as well as _**Dragon Jadefire, **_for being a wonderful continuing reader and reviewer, and my new fans who have left wonderful comments of support and praise. _**

**_I'm also making a book so to speak of one shots entitled Tales of the Gaang: A Book of Shorts. If anyone would like to see a particular ship or story plot, I'm open to ideas. _**

**_OH! And I just totally realized I have not had Suki in this story...at all. So yes...I shall stray slightly from the normal story line of the show (after all...we never lost Appa ) and she shall make an appearance._**

**_..._**

**Chapter 18 - Losing, Learning and Gaining**

**_..._**

"GAHH! Toph and Aang! Sitting in a rock! K-I-S-S-AUGHH!" Sokka was sent flying into the air by yet another rock pillar by Toph. Ever since Sokka had come

across the two sleeping in the back yard it had been endless teasing. And each teasing always resulted in a flight by pillar into the air or a rock into the face. Toph

took a seat next to Katara as she watched the firebending training continue.

"You call that a fireball?"

"Zuko. I'm doing my best."

"Well you have to do better. I'll show you." Zuko moved forward, going through a series of elaborate stances and moves before shooting his hand forward to

release...a small puff of flame. "W-what?" He tried again, and again, to result in small puffs of smoke.

"So it looks like the mighty and powerful jerk bender lost his flame." Sokka smirked. Zuko stood, looking at his hands in disbelief.

"I-I lost it." Katara stood up, looking worried. She walked over to Zuko, touching his shoulder.

"What do you mean?"

"I've lost my stuff. I can't fire bend anymore." She gave him a worried look, squeezing his shoulder lightly.

"Come on. We should go and talk to your Uncle."

**... ... ... ... ... ... **

Iroh sat, listening intently to Zuko's story of how his firebending had suddenly disappeared.

"You have gone through some large changes nephew."

"But I don't see why that affects my firebending all of a sudden."

"You used to focus your bending on your anger. Your anger fueled your fire Zuko. And now that you have changed, that anger no longer exists as strongly as

it once did."

"So then what am I supposed to do?"

"Study the old ways!" Zuko looked slightly taken aback. Iroh sighed before speaking again.

"Lucky for you...I managed to procure old scrolls from the past...I will train you." Zuko stood to hug his uncle.

"Thank you Uncle..."

**... ... ... ... ... ...**

The next week was filled with meditations and slow graceful movements. Iroh had taken to training both Zuko and Aang at the same time. The two would often get

frustrated, feeling as if they were making no progress, and Iroh would stay patient, telling them that all good things, take time.

Near sunset Iroh had finally given the two boys a break. Zuko had fallen fast asleep on the couch, and Katara had taken to having a bit of relaxation waterbending

with Aang in the back yard.

"It's just all...a lot of work Katara."

"It's going to be Aang. But you've got to learn." He nodded lightly, saying nothing. After a few moments he straightened up, looking around.

"Hey...where's Sokka." Katara smiled lightly, chuckling.

"You've been so busy and so tired that you never noticed. Sokka was out in town one day and he ran into Suki. Apparently she had been hiding out in town. He's

been spending all her time with her." Aang nodded lightly.

"Oh." Katara smiled sympathetically.

"Come on...why don't we just stop for tonight and you can go in and sleep?" Aang answered with a yawn and a nod before heading for the house. Katara

followed and was just about to sit on the window seat when the front door burst open, Sokka and Suki running in, hand in hand.

"Woah! What's the big rush?" Katara looked between the two. Sokka smiled brightly.

"Suki is a genious! That's what!" Katara raised an eyebrow and a very sleepy looking Zuko slugged over, rubbing his eyes. He seemed almost shocked to see the

two before him, obviously also not having noticed that Sokka had been scarce for the past few days. Suki smiled sneakily.

"I think I've found a way to get you into the King's home and talk to him."

"Isn't she great!?" Sokka grabbed Suki in a tight hug, kissing her cheek as he spun her in a circle.

_**... ... ... ... ... ... **_

_** Okay so it's been a while! I sure hope I still have some readers out there. Thank you to all who have given reviews. Thank you to the recent reviews also.**_

**_ Please continue to R&R and tell your friends about my stories . I'm going to try and update more often, so I'd like to get a good sized fan base (that the word I'm looking for? Lol)_**

**_Well...it's after 2AM and seeing as I just had a play tonight and have the last one to perform tomorrow... I think it'd be best if I go to bed now. _**

**_Thanks again!_**


	21. Chapter 19 Making a Plan

**_I KNOW! It's been forever!!! But it's not my fault!!! Lol College started back up recently, and as soon as it did, I got busy with a play, and just when things were calming down enough for me to write…I got sick : (. First it started as a cold…and then a stomach thing. Im finally feeling better. So I started to write again and fanfare MIDTERMS! But now….I CAN WRITE AGAIN!!! ! Thanks for sticking by! I love all the reviews and adds I get!_**

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**Making a Plan**

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"Let me get this straight…you want us to sneak into this palace, completely unnoticed, with a special event going on?" Zuko leaned back in his chair, looking disbelievingly at Suki. She had just relayed her plan to the group. At the end of that week, the Earth King would be holding a large party. And during that party, the Gaang would sneak in, make their way to the king, and tell him about everything that was really going on outside of the city walls. Suki would lead most of the group in through the back, while Toph and Katara would actually go into the party, a sort of diversion and mini army incase anything went wrong. From there, they would sneak off and the entire group would meet up to meet the king.

"I guess it could work." Aang shrugged.

"See! I told you guys she was a genius!" Sokka smiled excitedly.

"Well it's a good plan, there's just one problem." Toph spoke up from her seat, holding a finger in the air. "The only way two girls are going to get into any royal party is with an escort." The rest all slumped back.

"That could be hard. I mean, it will get us in, but Zuko and Aang are way too recognizable." Katara said from her seat.

"I guess that leaves Jet and Sokka." The two looked around awkwardly at Suki's suggestion. Zuko, however, sat back, arms crossed and scowling.

"Yea…great idea." Katara leaned over to him.

"I know how you feel, but it is the only way we are going to get in there." Zuko sighed, shrugging.

"I'm not happy about this."

.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

On the day of the party the group spent the morning and afternoon rushing around preparing for their invasion that night. And the way Katara was running around making sure she and Toph were both set for that night you might think they had actually been excited for this party. When the time came to finally go, anyone not going into the party could be found in darker colored fighting clothes. Sokka and Jet however bore a more…formal look. Suki had managed to find a couple of suits that would work just right for the two. And finally, came the time for Katara and Toph to reveal themselves from the room Katara had kept the two locked in for the past 3 hours. If they were going to crash a party without looking suspicious, then they would have to do it right. Surprisingly, there was little debate from Toph. When they stepped into the living room Zuko and Aang's jaws practically dropped to the floor, only to receive a light tap from Suki. Katara was draped in a light olive green dress trimmed in deeper green, while Toph in a cream colored dress trimmed in golds and yellows. Their hair and makeup looked as if experienced ladies from the royal palace were responsible.

"Wow…you look….*ahem*" Aang blushed fiercely, hoping Toph wouldn't punch him for his compliment.

"Thanks Twinkle Toes." She snapped her ornate fan closed, folding her arms.

"Well….we uh…better get going." Aang motioned toward the door, willing the blood to leave his face. As the group walked out to the night streets, Zuko held back, grabbing Jet before he could get ahead. He whispered his threat in his ear, his voice low and menacing.

"I don't care if they do think you've changed, you lay one hand on Katara and I'll personally see to it that you lose them." Jet said nothing, shrugging Zuko from his shoulder after a few moments, continuing to walk forward with the group. Zuko only frowned before hurrying to catch up with his girlfriend. It wouldn't be long now until they were invading the palace and warning the King of what was really going on in the world.

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**_I know! I know! It's short, but its been so long and I really wanted to get a chapter posted!!! Please enjoy, read and review!!! ^_^_ **


	22. Chapter 20 Sneaking In

_**I KNOW! I've been forever! And I'm sorry. Ive been trying to write a new chapter...but life gets so busy sometimes it's hard to do anything at all! I hope I still have some readers out there! : )**_

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**Sneaking In  
**

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As the group made their way towards the party the invasion team split off half way, planning to make their way in through the back. When the other 4 got closer to the main entrance Katara raised a hand, whapping Jet across the back of the head. He stopped walking, looking to her angrily.

"What was that for?!"

"How on earth could you forget the invitation?! I swear sometimes you are so stupid!" Jet only gave her a confused look until she quickly motioned her eyes towards the men at the front entrance. Quickly understanding and huffed, crossing his arms.

"Well excuse me. If you hadn't taken so long getting every last hair in place, we wouldn't have had to rush out of the house. And I wouldn't have forgotten it!" Katara scoffed, walking over to the entrance.

"Excuse me. But it seems my _idiot _of an escort forgot our invitation. Is there any way we could still get inside? It's an awful long way back home and we would hate to miss the party." The first man raised an eyebrow to Katara.

"Names?"

"Oh...well...My name is Song and... this is my sister..... Tang." She quickly pulled Toph to her side. "We're...cousins of the Earth King."

"Hmm...go on in."

"Thank you." The four walked in, and only after they were far enough away from the door did Katara look to Jet.

"Sorry. But I had to get us in somehow."

"Hah. It's fine."

**... ... ... ... ... ...**

**Meanwhile....**

**... ... ... ... ... ...**

Aang, Zuko and Suki quietly made their way around the back of the palace and in through the servants quarters. Thanks to Suki's exceptional skills in stealth, she got their small group past guards and servants and finally to a main hallway, deserted now due to the party in the ballroom. Suki slid up against a wall, putting out an arm to stop the boys from going around the corner. Silently sliding a fan from her sleeve, she threw it down the hall. They heard a clunk and a thump before turning the corner to see a Dai Li agent knocked out on the ground. Suki smirked, picking up the fan.

"Let's go."

They had just barely gotten down the next hall when at least 10 Dai Li's dropped from the ceiling.

"Well well well... intruders."

... ... ... ... ...

**_It's short! I know, but I've been SOOOOO busy lately I haven't been able to write more. And I REALLY wanted to get out a new chapter. _**

**_I have the next one in the works, but I wanted this one to be out for everyone. New one should be up in a week or so. (I have a busy work schedule and busy play rehearsal schedule.)_**

**_P.S. Sorry if the formatting for this one is weird...it didn't seem to want to load up correctly. _  
_**


	23. Chapter 21 The Earth King, Finally

_**I apologize for the very long wait! To my new readers, hello! And thank you for adding/favoriting me! To my long time readers, thanks for sticking with me! I have been very busy lately, just got a new laptop (which is STILL taking time getting used to), and, the biggest issue with this chapter….I was having a LOT of trouble coming up with how to work out making the earth king believe the gaang and what to show him. (as I never made the fire nation break through the wall)**_

_**This is a slightly longer chapter since I feel horrible for not having written in so long. I even went back and read my previous chapters and comments and made me want to put out a new chapter for all my fans : ). (and throughout my reading of my chaps/comments I realized I offered to send my alternate version to those who wanted it….and unfortunately lost due to my harddrive frying on the old computer. Im very sorry to those who wanted it and IF I can find it stored on a backup CD ill send it asap.) **_

_**But for now…keep reading, reviewing and most importantly, enjoying! : )**_

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**Chapter 21 – The Earth King…Finally**

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Katara sighed, looking around for probably the 20th time that night.

"Where are they? Shouldn't we have heard something by now…it's been an hour."

"Calm down sweetness. I'm sure they're just planning out their next move with the Earth King." Toph stuffed yet another hors d'oeuvres into her mouth. "Trust me…everything is just fine." She leaned back reassuredly against a pillar.

… … … … … … … … … …

"Uhg…mm..wha-what happened?" Aang began to stir, barely conscious of the cold surface under his body. He lay still another moment as he came to, before becoming aware of his surroundings. "What?!" He attempted to sit up with much struggle, realizing his hands were cuffed behind his back. "What happened!?"

"We were ambushed. I can't believe I was so stupid!" The voice was Suki's. She was sitting against a wall, obviously having regained consciousness long before Aang had, and was staring miserably at the ground.

"Pfft. Please. Without your plan we never would have gotten into the castle. It's not your fault the entire place is climbing with freaky ninja guys…" Zuko looked at her, hoping his Sokka-style humor would at least lighten the mood a bit. Yes, they had been ambushed and locked in this strange room, but that was no reason for Suki to beat herself up over it. Suki turned her eyes to him and smiled lightly, shrugging.

"Thanks…"

"So where are we?" Aang air-bended himself to his feet and walked to face his comrades.

"Somewhere underground I think. It's dark…and damp." Zuko grimaced as he spoke, slouching slightly.

"You're in the dungeon actually, in a _special_ cell. And after we catch your little friends, you'll be taken to Lake Laogai." The voice came from a small slit in the door. The trio looked up to see a pair of eyes looking in at them.

"We acted alone. There is no one with us." Zuko spoke, his face hard as stone.

"Now, now, my dear boy…don't think I could ever be so stupid. We know you and your little friends have been trying to reach the Earth King for weeks. The possibility of just you three sneaking in alone is absurd. We _will_ find them." And with that the small door was sharply shut, leaving the trio alone again.

"What are we going to do?! We're stuck here."

"Calm down, would you?" Zuko whispered.

"Calm down?! How do you expect me to calm down!? Our friends are about to get attacked, and we're stuck here handcuffed with-"

"Stone." Zuko cut Aang off, his voice calm and matter-of-fact. Aang paused.

"S-stone?"

"Stone.." Zuko nodded lightly to his friend, waiting for it to actually dawn on him.

"Then that means!-"and with a quick flick of his hands Aang's handcuffs fell to pebbles at his feet. He moved his hands again, earth bending the cuffs from Zuko and Suki.

"Now what?"

… … … … … … … … … …

"Sokka! Do you ever stop eating?!" Katara hit her brother agitatedly in the arm. The entire time they had been waiting Sokka and Jet had done nothing but pig out on the plentiful food around them.

"Hey! Why are you yelling at me?! Jet's eating too!"

"Jet's not my pudgy brother."

"Pudgy! Who's pudgy! I'm one-hundred percent pure, hard-trained muscles!" Sokka flexed his arms.

"Pardon me…but may I see your invitations?" The light voice came from behind the group. They turned to see Long Feng.

"O-our invitations?"

"Yes, I'm sorry for the inconvenience. But it seems we've had quite a few party crashers tonight, and it seems that we now need to check all our guests again for their invitations." He directed the answer to Katara.

"Oh no, that's terrible. But, unfortunately, we are without our invitations tonight. My _stupid escort_ forgot them at home." Once again she elbowed Jet, who grunted painfully this time due to his full stomach.

"Hmm…that is a shame. Would you mind coming with me then?"

"Well whatever for?! We are guests, just like any other guest here tonight." Toph smirked lightly behind Katara's back, impressed with her friend's charade. She had already warned Katara earlier that night that they would need to act like upper class at the party.

"I am sorry miss. I assure you. It is just…precautionary." Toph's eyes narrowed in suspicion as the group followed Long Feng. They started down a long hallway, the sounds of their footsteps echoing lightly off the stone. And then Toph stopped, and with two very fast movements of her arms, Long Feng was encased in a tower of stone up to his neck.

"What? Toph?" Katara turned and looked to her friend.

"Something's up with this guy. We haven't seen the others for a while now, and all of a sudden he pops up, making up some lie about needing to see our invitations. I gotta say, for a minute there he almost had me fooled. He's a pretty good liar."

"She's right. I never had any intentions of checking for your invitations. But rather give you one. I'd like to invite you all….to Lake Laogai." Without warning, Jet leapt out, knocking Toph aside. Her rock tower faltered, and sunk back into the stone floor. He turned swiftly, heading towards Sokka now. Sokka side-stepped to avoid the hit Jet was directing at him. As he did so a group of Dai-Li dropped in once more. One man threw a set of blades to Jet who caught them with ease. He swung them wildly, heading towards Katara. She stared into his outraged face, scared. But it was then that she noticed his eyes, the eyes that so long ago had once captivated her were blank. Compared to his angry face his eyes held no emotion at all. It was as if he were sleepwalking.

"Jet! Jet stop! Listen to me! Stop this!" she ducked and dodged each of his swings. She reached under the folds of material at her hip and popped open the canteen of water she had hidden for emergency purposes. Bending out almost its entire contents she aimed the whip for Jet, smacking him square in the forehead. He faltered for but second, but it was long enough for Sokka to jump forward, grabbing Jet from behind, locking his arms behind him. Sadly his efforts were for naught as the Dai-Li rushed forward, taking the advantage of Jet as a distraction, and covered Sokka, Katara and Toph's heads with black bags, cuffing their hands behind their backs. Toph fought and kicked, earthbending the cuffs from her wrists.

"Hey! We've got a fighter!"

"Then take care of her!" Toph heard the man's voice and fought harder, feeling herself being lifted up from the ground. She went completely blind, feeling weightless and with a large, painful thump to the back of her head, she was knocked out, falling limp.

… … … … … … … … … …

The trio sat against the wall of their cell, wracking their brains for a way; any way, to get out of their current predicament. The silence was interrupted as the door clanged open loudly and three bodies were tossed in and the door was quickly shut and locked again.

"Katara?!" Zuko rushed to his feet and hurried over to her, bending over Katara's body, helping her to kneel. "Katara? Are you okay?" he looked over her, looking for any cuts and bruises, wrapping his arms around her as she leaned into his chest.

"We were ambushed. Long Feng said he needed to see our invitations." By now Suki had Sokka up as well. He grunted, the cuffs pulling at his wrists. "What are these stupid things? Hey Toph…you think you could help us out here? …Toph?" he turned to see Aang gently brushing Toph's hair from her face, her head resting in his lap.

"They knocked her out…." Aang didn't look away from Toph as he moved his hand, the cuffs falling from Katara and Sokka's wrists.

"Aang…maybe I can help…" Katara walked over, gathering what little water was left in her canteen. She bent it around her hands, placing one on the front and the other on the back of Toph's head. The cool water swirled gently, and finally, Toph stirred. Her milky eyes looked upward, not seeing the smile that spread across Aang's face.

"You're okay."

"Hardly." She sat up slowly, rubbing the back of her head where she had been hit.

"What happened to you guys?" Zuko looked around the group.

"Our _good friend Jet_ attacked us." Sokka's voice was angry. But no anger matched that of Zuko's as he stood up.

"What?! That no good, lousy, rotten, -" he yelled out, flames coming from his fists. "I knew that slime was no good."

"I don't think it was his fault."

"What?!" the group turned in unison to Toph as Aang helped her to stand up.

"I don't think he knew what he was doing."

"How didn't he know what he was doing? He attacked us Toph!"

"I know Sokka. But I don't think he meant to. Remember what Long Feng said right before Jet went crazy? He said he'd like to invite us to _Lake Laogai_. And then Jet went crazy. But his heartbeat never changed. It was like he was brainwashed all over again." The group stayed silent a moment.

"You don't think it was a trap do you? A trigger word?" Katara looked to her brother.

"Who knows? It's possible." He shrugged. Zuko sighed angrily.

"That's no excuse! And if I find out that he touched you even once! It's not bad enough he already attacked you!" Katara placed a hand on Zuko's cheek, which seemed to calm him. She smiled up to him, her eyes searching his. For now, Zuko wrapped his arm around Katara, glad she was okay, but plotting Jet's punishment when he saw him next. Jet had already caused too much trouble for Zuko to let him get away with.

"So…where are we anyway?" Toph shifted her feet, attempting to get a feel for their surroundings. She couldn't understand why her vision was so blurry, chalking it up to her recent blow to the back of her head.

"We're in some sort of cell downstairs. They told us they were going to bring us to Lake Laogai after they caught you guys."

"Well then, we've gotta get out of here." Toph cracked her knuckles, walking towards the door.

"It's metal." Zuko's words stopped her in her tracks.

"What?"

"It's metal. The entire cell is metal. Long Feng's little troupe will be all over the place." Toph growled angrily, punching the door.

"Let us out!" she punched it again, and she was answered by a loud bang on the other side.

"Stop that!"

"Hah, just leave 'em alone. There's no way they'll get out of there. Metal doesn't bend." The two men on the other side laughed and walked off, their footsteps echoing away. Toph grunted with effort, punching the door again before backing off and walking back to the group.

"So what do we do?" No one had an answer to Aang's question.

"I guess…we come up with some sort of plan for when they come back for us."

… … … … … … … … … …

Hours had passed and the Gaang had come up with no new plans. They guessed it had to be late now as no guards had come by to check on them. Zuko leaned his head back against the wall he sat at, Katara resting against his chest.

"Looks like we're spending the night here…"

"Ya know," Sokka shifted where he sat, his arm wrapping tighter around Suki's sleeping form. "It's too bad this place isn't made of earth or Toph could've busted us out of here hours ago."

"That would have worked for Aang too ya know." Katara defended, looking to her sleeping friend.

"Well…yea…but Aang's not exactly a master like Toph is..." Sokka's sentence trailed off as he looked to Toph, who had walked away from where she sat and now stood in front of the door, her hand outstretched against it.

"Ya know Sokka, you might be on to something."

"Wha-?"

"I mean…metal is sort of earth right? Just reformed…I wonder if…" She spread her feet and slammed the palms of her hands against the door, "seeing" the makeup of the door. Inhaling deeply she punched her hands forward. The door barely budged and Toph stepped back, taking a deeper stance before punching her hands forward again, this time causing a good sized dent.

"Woah…" The sentiment was echoed throughout the group. Suki and Aang stirred, looking around. It was Suki who voiced the question.

"What's going on?"

"I-I think Toph is trying to bust us out." Aang looked from Sokka to Toph, a sense of pride filling in his chest. Toph gripped at the metal, ripping the door open. The metal groaned loudly, bending to her will. With a final grunt of effort the door ripped open, the large hole exposing the stone hall on the other side.

"YES! I did it!"

"Toph! You really did it!" Aang rushed forward, gathering Toph in a hug.

"There's no time for celebrations. Someone would have heard that, we've got to get out of here." Zuko took the first step out the door as he spoke. The group followed, but they didn't get far as a group of three Dai Li rushed forward.

"I don't think so boys! You're in my element now!" Toph moved her hands, forming the earth around the Dai Li's feet. She forced them into the cell and with a sharp pull on the edges of the door, folded the metal closed. "I am the greatest earth bender in the world! And don't you dunderheads ever forget it!" With a final kick to the door Toph turned, smiling smugly to the group, folding her arms across her chest.

"Nice work." Zuko nodded appreciatively to her.

"I know." She punched him in his arm.

"We should really get going. We still have to find the earth king." Suki led the group down a hall, running as the lead.

The group continued to search the halls, feeling both lucky and uneasy that they hadn't yet come across any more Dai Li agents. They finally came across a large, ornate door.

"Now _that_ looks like an important door."

"I'm on it!" Aang air-bended a large gust of wind and aimed it for the door, bursting it open. The room revealed the throne room, the Earth King himself sitting in the throne, and a large bear lying at his side. The Earth King stood up, shocked, looking to the Gaang as they burst in.

"What is the meaning of this?! What are you doing here? Long Feng?" he looked to Long Feng, who was standing next to the throne.

Katara rushed forward,

"You highness, please, we have to speak with you."

"I'm sorry young lady, but you need to make an appointment. Now please, leave." The earth king flipped a wrist to wave them away.

"But it's important! It's about the city! It's in danger!"

"Impossible." He crossed his arms, looking away from them, rather resembling a small child. "Long Feng, are these the intruders you were informing me about?" Long Feng nodded.

"I can take care of them for you sir." He shifted his eyes to the Gaang.

"Please your highness! Just listen to us." The earth king stood up, looking rather angrily at Katara.

"Listen to you? You break into my party, incapacitate my guards, break down my fancy door and scare poor Bosco, and you expect me to listen to you?"

"Well…when you say it all together like that…" Katara smacked Sokka in the back of the head, ignoring his yelp of pain. She opened her mouth to speak but Aang beat her to the punch.

"Please your majesty. It's really important. It's about the safety of the Earth Kingdom." The king scoffed, sitting back in his chair.

"However could my kingdom be in danger? I have the Dai Li-"

"The Dai-Li aren't as trustworthy as you may think." Zuko stepped forward.

"How-"

"They've been lying to you sir…about a lot of things." It was Sokka that spoke this time, stepping forward as he bowed respectfully. "The Fire Nation has broken into the city, and that more than likely means that they are planning to take over the entire city…and the kingdom." He paused, letting what he said sink in to the king. "The Dai-Li have been lying to you sir."

"The Dai-Li are my most trusted affiliation. Long Feng is my advisor, he would never wrong me." Long Feng merely nodded.

"That is correct. These children are merely trying to cause trouble sir. Please, allow me to _escort them out._ I can't imagine how they got out in the first place. That cell was complete metal."

"Yes…how did you get out?" The Earth King turned his attention back to the group. Toph smiled smugly.

"You're looking at the greatest earth bender in the world!"

"By the way…you might wanna go check on your little _friends. _I'm pretty sure that Toph made sure to bend the door closed really tightly." Sokka glared at Long Feng, who merely sputtered.

"But that door was solid metal!" Katara ignored his sputtering, turning her attention to the Earth King.

"Sir please, you have to believe us. The city is in danger! Long Feng is working with the fire nation! He's been trying to stop us from telling you! He already ambushed us tonight!"

"Well you _did_ break into my palace.." The earth king chided.

"Fair enough." Aang responded. "And we apologize for that. But we only wanted to warn you! We want to keep everyone safe, and stop the fire nation and the Dai-Li before the city is taken over. The rest of the world has already fallen victim to the fire nation. Ba Sing Se is the only safe place left. If it falls…then the fire nation has won."

"How could the rest of the world be in such danger?"

"There's been a war going on for a hundred years! And it's only been getting worse! The Dai Li hasn't said anything to you because they want to keep you in the dark. That will only make it easier for them to overthrow you. Please your majesty, if you don't believe us, than let us show you."

"And why should I believe you anyway?"

"Because, I'm the Avatar." Aang rarely pulled the avatar card, but he knew that if ever he needed to do so, now was the time. The Earth King shifted his view to Aang, observing him. Knowing he would have to demonstrate Aang bended a large gust of air, purposefully sending it at Long Feng, causing his robes to fly up and around his head. The Earth King chuckled lightly, turning his head back to Aang.

"You may be the Avatar….but what proof do you have to show me that my Kingdom is in trouble?" The Gaang stayed silent a moment, in deep thought. It was Sokka who stepped forward.

"We can give you a ride on our sky bison."

"You have a sky bison?!" The Earth King jumped up excitedly. Aang nodded.

"Yes your highness."

"What are we waiting for!?"

…**………………………………**

_**I hope you all enjoy the chapter! I tried to keep everyone in character as always, but had a bit of trouble with the Earth King. As we know he is a bit more childish than most kings would be…and I had to make sure to not make him too crazy. The next chapter should hopefully be out in another week or two. While writing this chapter (the hardest chapter to write yet) I came up with my idea for the next chapter. Read, enjoy and review! ^_^**_


	24. Chapter 22 We Have to Stop Her

**Hello readers! I am honestly sorry this took so long to get out! I've been getting emails asking for new chapters.. but unfortunately a little while back I kinda lost the spark for writing this story…I just couldn't come up with any more ideas for more chapters. Now, this chatper will be a little shorter than the others…but I still hope you will all enjoy it. And let it be known: I'm back! :D And I hope you will all enjoy! **

**Chapter 22 - We Have to Stop Her**

**…**

"So you see your highness. That's why it was so important for us to talk to you. You needed to know what was going on. What was _really_ going on." Aang turned Appa's reins, heading them back towards the palace. The Earth King looked down sadly to the lands below and the destruction Azula and the war between tribes had caused.

"So much destruction and war…I never knew. And now you say this…Azula…is coming our way?"

"We can't really be sure sir. More than likely yes. She wants to take over as much as she can, get as many people on her side or under her control. And she will do it by any means possible." Zuko spoke this time, his gaze slowly turning to Katara, giving her hand a soft squeeze.

"So what do you suggest we do?" The Earth King turned and looked at the group, all of whom looked down glumly.

"We need to keep you protected your highness. And everyone else in Ba Sing Se. But if the Dai Li are working with Azula, then they are working against you and will stop at nothing to make sure that _she_ succeeds." Aang spoke this time, eyes set straight on the horizon.

**…..**

Hours later the Gaang had retreated back to their house, the plans with the Earth King freshly laid. They would continue to train, to further prepare themselves for the upcoming eclipse and would ambush the firelord. It surprised the group when Zuko was so willing to go after his father. He'd grown sick of his father's tyranny, he said, and would no longer stand by and watch the one's he loved get hurt. The relentless work with his uncle, and his new determination had brought his firebending back at full scale. He vowed to help Aang master the skill, and to help him take down his father.

The weeks followed with training to help Aang master earthbending and firebending, and practicing waterbending to keep his skills sharp. It had been two weeks since their meeting with the Earth King that Suki walked to the back yard to see a gloomy Sokka sitting near the small pond, sulking.

"Hey there."

"Hey…" he threw a small pebble into the water, unaffected by his girlfriend's perky greeting.

"Sokka? Are you okay?" Suki took a seat next to him, taking his hand.

"Suki…I feel like such a failure."

"What? Sokka! That's not even close to true! You're an amazing leader, and a great fighter."

"Thanks… I just…I don't feel like I add up to anyone here. You're the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, and everyone else is a Master Bender of some sort. And what am I? …Master of the Ponytail." Sokka sighed gloomily, laying back on the grass. Suki sighed sadly, looking off into the distance. Their gazes slowly drifted off closer to the house, where Zuko was practicing with his duel swords. It was then that Sokka sat up, an idea forming in his head.

"I've got it! I could be a Sword Master!"

"Are you sure it's such a good idea to ask Zuko to train you? He's already got more than enough on his plate trying to help Aang master firebending."

"No. I'm not talking about Zuko. I'm going to find myself my own master. And I think I know _just_ who to ask!" and with that, Sokka jumped up and ran towards the house, yelling as he went.

"Irroohhh!"

**..…..**

**Well, I hope you all enjoyed! I've been trying really hard to get back into this story, and I think I'm getting there! Hopefully a new chapter SOON! RxR! :D **


	25. Chapter 23 Sokka Finds a Master

**I was thrilled with the reviews and hits I got on my newest chapter! Thank you so much to everyone for reading! Now of course, I just COULDN'T leave out the meteor sword. :D Enjjooyy!**

**Chapter 23 – Sokka Finds a Master**

**…..**

"Now, Piandao lives in a castle set just here, in Shu Jing." Iroh pointed to the spot on the map. The old man knew well of the work of the sword master and was glad to help Sokka in his quest to become a master swordsman.

"It will take you about a week on Appa to get there. Be forewarned Sokka, he is a tough man, he does not bend easily. But, he is an excellent swordsman. Good luck."

"Thank you Iroh." Sokka hurried from Iroh's room to meet with the rest of the group. He quickly explained his plan, asking Aang for the permission to borrow Appa for the ride. No sooner had they finished lunch that afternoon that Sokka had gathered a bag of supplies and his map and headed out toward Shu Jing, well aware of the journey he had ahead of him. While everyone had gone about their business, Katara paced around nervously. She had picked at her dinner and barely responded to anything anyone else had said. By the time everyone else had gone to bed Katara was still up, tossing and turning. She soon gave up on sleep and silently slipped into the kitchen, making herself a cup of tea which she barely touched as she continued to pace back and forth.

"Ya know, you're gonna wear a hole into the floor." Zuko's voice made her jump, her tea sloshing from the cup. With a quick flick of her wrists she returned the tea into the cup, placing it onto the table.

"Zuko…you scared me." She gave him a soft smile, trying to hide that anything was wrong, before gazing back out the window towards the night sky. Zuko walked to her, placing a hand on her back.

"Katara…he'll be okay. Your brother is strong." She turned to him, moving in for a hug.

"I know you are right. But he's my big brother…he's always been there for me. I'm just worried about him." Zuko chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Katara, kissing the top of her head.

"Boy, I sure wish I had a sister like you. Azula's not exactly the caring type…" Katara turned her gaze to Zuko, bringing her hand to rest against his scarred cheek. He tilted his face into her hand, closing his eyes in comfort. His hand covered hers and the two slowly leaned in for a soft kiss. As they parted, Zuko linked his fingers through Katara's and lead her to the cushioned window seat where he sat, coaxing her to sit with him. She needed little persuading as she lay back against him, resting her head in the spot between his neck and shoulder. Her head fit just perfectly. He wrapped his arms comfortably around Katara, his thumb rubbing her arm soothingly.

"I promise Katara, your brother will be okay."

"Thank you Zuko. …You always make me feel so much better."

"You do too Katara." He paused a minute, his chest feeling nervous. "You've always been there for me, even when I was the most stubborn, rude jerk ever. You never gave up on me…and you've always had faith in me. I could never thank you enough for that… I-I love you Katara."

Katara moved her head slowly, leaning on one elbow to look at him. Her cerulean eyes met his amber ones as her voice came out in a whisper. "You…you do?"

"Yea…I do." He smiled to her, Katara returning the smile.

"I love you too Zuko." The two moved in towards one another to share in a passionate kiss, Zuko's hand tangling into Katara's hair. They finally pulled apart, gasping for breath, smiling to one another. Katara could have sworn she could fly at that very moment as she stared into the eyes of the man she loved. Zuko stared back at her, gently brushing a strand of her lose hair behind her ear, bringing his palm to a rest against her cheek. Katara turned to his palm, kissing it lightly, as she lay down, resting her head against his chest, her arm wrapping around his side. Slowly the two drifted off into sleep, wrapped up in one another.

**….**

"We're almost there buddy. Good job!" Sokka smiled as he pet Appa's head. The behemoth gave a low groan in response. Sokka led Appa into a soft land and leapt from the saddle, making his way towards the front doors. He took a deep breath before reaching for the large, ornate knockers on the doors. It had taken Sokka nearly a week to reach the place of Piandao, stopping only for rest, food, and once to change into the fire nation clothes Zuko had lent him. Finally he reached out his hand, grabbing the knocker and tapping it against the door. When no answer came he reached for both, knocking frantically. The doors flew open, a butler stepping out.

"Yes?"

"I'm here to see Piandao. I ask to be trained by him."

"Well I'd turn away now if I were you, he hardly ever takes anyone as a student."

"Either way, I'd still like to see him." Sokka bowed his head. The man sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Very well. This way." He led a quiet Sokka to a large room, where a man sat at a table, his back to the door.

"Well?" the man's voice was deep and intimidating. Sokka dropped to his knees in a respectful bow."

"Please sir, I've traveled a very long way to see you. I humbly beg to train under you and learn the ways of the sword."

"And what makes you think you're worthy of becoming my pupil?"

"To be honest sir? I don't think I _am_ worthy. I'm the only one in my family that doesn't have anything special about them. They're-they're all masters. And me? All I've got is a map. I can't do anything. But I'm a fast learner. And if you'd let me, I'd be honored to be your student." The man looked up from his calligraphy, staring out the window.

"What's your name?"

"S-Sokka ..sir"

"Sokka? Hah! That's an unusual name." Piandao's statement was dripping with suspicion.

"Oh! Uh-no…no. Where I'm from? The…Fire Nation colony? It's a _very_ common name." Sokka chuckled nervously

"Let me guess… where you come from you're the best swordsman in your colony, and you want to learn from a master? And you think that just because you come and give some pretty little speech that I'll just accept you and teach you to be a master?"

"Please sir… for once I'd just like to feel like I'm worthy of something." Had he been in a less somber mood, Sokka would have mentally kicked himself for being such a kiss-up. But for one of the few times in his life, he was being completely serious. Finally, Piandao stood, turning from his seat.

"Well then, we'd better get started."

**…..**

"The most important thing to remember when using a sword, is to consider it an extra part of your body." Piandao moved through a few slow moves with his sword.

"Sooooo….like an extra head?"

"More like a really long, super sharp arm."

"Great! Sooo…when do I get a real sword?"

"First you must learn the basics…how to breathe and lead your sword as a part of you."

"Oh…" Sokka sighed disappointedly. He looked up catching Piandao's disapproving look and straightened up, forcing a smile onto his face. "I mean, oh!" he chuckled nervously, keeping the smile there until Piandao had looked away again.

**…..**

"AAuuugghh! Umph!" Sokka flew back once more, his back slamming into the rock wall.

"Again!" Piandao shouted from his perch above the ring. He looked down to Sokka and the large man currently sparring him. The past few days Piandao had spent teaching Sokka the most basics of the sword and concentration. Today he decided it was time for him to put his skills to use. Sokka stood up, bending over to catch his breath.

"Remember Sokka…think of your sword as an extension of your arm." He charged towards the large man once more, this time fairing much better in his spar. By the end of the day Sokka was exhausted, bruised and sore. Piandao c lapped the warrior on his shoulder, a light smile of praise on his face.

"You are doing well Sokka. But do not become too confident. You still have a long way to go."

"Thank you Master." Sokka bowed his head before trudging off to check on Appa, and then to the room granted to him by Piandao. As tired as he was, Sokka was unable to sleep. He felt too sore to sleep, and instead took to sitting on the sill of the large window in his room, staring up at the moon.

"Boy Yue…I never thought it'd be _this_ hard to be a master swordsman. I think my backside is gonna be bruised forever." He chuckled quietly, resting his head back. His eyes had just started to close as a stream of bright green light flooded the sky. His eyes shot open quickly to see a large green meteor streaming through the sky. He watched as it crossed over the nearby hill, slamming into the ground. "What was that?" It was but a few seconds before he smirked, looking up to the moon.

"Alright, alright, I get it. Stop complaining and get to bed. Geeze Yue, when did you get to be so bossy?" Sokka smiled as he climbed under the blankets, quickly falling asleep.

**…..**

**Well folks, looks like Sokka's training is actually going to be 2 chapters, and not one like I had originally intended. Ideas started flowing and before I knew it, I'm at 4 pages! I didn't want to make the chapter tooooo long, so I figured I'd split it here! RxR! I shall update soon! :D **


	26. Chapter 24 A Sword, A Fight, and Some Te

**Hey all! Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I got a sudden urge to write a new story so I was working on that. And then I got busy with work as well. The reviews have been great and have really inspired me! Thanks a ton to all! : ) Hope you all enjoy the newest chapter! **

**…..**

**Chapter 24 – A Sword, a Fight and Some Tea**

**…..**

It did not take long for Sokka to pick up the skills Piandao was instilling in him. It was early one morning when his master approached him, a bright look in his eye.

"Sokka. You have done very well thus far. You are one of my quickest students. It is time you gain your own sword." At his words, Sokka's eyes lit up. He had seen the work Piandao could do.

"You're gonna give me one of yours?"

"No Sokka. You must forge your own. Choose whichever metal you will and we will get to work."

Sokka thought for a moment before remembering the meteor he had seen just days ago. After requesting permission to go off on his own to get the material he needed and return, he returned to Piandao's place he proudly held up his findings.

"Do you think a meteor would work master?"

"I think it'll work just fine."

**…..**

"Tea time!" Uncle sang out to the group, as he walked from the kitchen, tray in hand. As of late Iroh had taken to experimenting with new tea flavors for his tea shop. While a few of his new flavors had indeed been successful, others had failed…miserably.

"As long as it's not that grapefruit mango mix again…blech." Toph crossed her feet, resting them on the table. The rest of the group chuckled, trying to not groan at the memories of the unsuccessful recipe. Iroh gave a hearty chuckle.

"Not to fear. I think I've got it this time! Rose hips, berries and fire lilies!" He served a small cup to each person, each sniffing their cup nervously, the pink liquid steaming.

"Hey! This doesn't smell to bad!" Katara looked to her cup before taking a brave sip. "Mmmm! It's delicious Uncle!"

"I agree. This one will be a very big hit at the tea shop." Zuko smiled to his uncle, the rest of the group agreeing.

"I'm glad you all like it so much. Now, try my next flavor…Leechi nut, moon peach and ginger."

"Uhmm…Aang! I have to show you that new earth bending move!"

"What earth bending mo-? OW!" Toph kicked Aang's shin, and he stood up, heading towards the door. "Oooh! That move..right!"

"And..I have to go…to the market! For..food for dinner! But I need Suki's help!"

"I should come with you. In case you…need help carrying anything?" Zuko stood up, quickly ushering the two girls to the door. Iroh was soon left all alone.

"Was it something I said?" He looked to Momo who had landed on his shoulder. The lemur leaned over, and sniffed the tea. He yowled loudly and flew off, leaving Iroh to taste the tea himself.

"Ugh! Maybe I should stop experimenting with such odd combinations…" The elderly man turned, pouring his newest failure out the window.

**…..**

"Sokka, today you leave not a young man, but a knowledgeable and able swordsman. You're smart, you're loyal and you're very skilled. In fact, if you continue to train on your own, you could very well become a better master swordsman than myself. It makes me very proud to have trained you. You have truly proven your worth." With that, Piandao held out his arms to hand Sokka his newly forged sword. Sokka took the sword solemnly, looking down to the ground.

"Thank you…but I'm not worthy. …I'm not from the fire nation. I'm from the Southern Water Tribe. I'm sorry that I lied to you."

"Well…I'm sorry too." Piandao drew his sword, aiming it towards Sokka, who jumped back quickly, unsheathing his own sword. The two rushed towards one another, the loud sounds of metal hitting metal and the grunting of effort. As Piandao chased Sokka around the grounds, Sokka began using the environment to his advantage, throwing dirt and swinging branches. With a final hit, Sokka sent Piandao falling to the ground, and stood over him. After a moment his master smiled to him, and bowed his head. Sokka bowed in return and helped Piandao back to his feet.

"You will go far Sokka."

"Thank you, master."

**….**

"Hey look! Sokka's back!" Aang shouted from where he and Toph were perched on a bench in the backyard. Over the past few weeks of Sokka's absence the house seemed to have fallen into a sort of slump. Without Sokka's wit and humor the group had quickly grown bored. Between the meetings with the Earth King, and thanking the spirits that he had stopped the Dai Li from coming after them, the group had little to do for entertainment. Zuko, Katara and Suki quickly ran from the house, approaching the large bison as he landed, Sokka leaping from his back.

"Sokka!" Suki leapt into his arms, hugging him tightly.

"Please! Say something funny!" Top begged. "Sparky and Twinkle Toes here have been trying to take your place but…please!"

"Glad to know I was missed." Sokka smirked, kissing the top of Suki's head. "Oh yeah! Before I forget, I brought you something Toph!" Sokka handed her a large chunk from the meteor, relaying the story of it to the group. "Thought you might want to bend a bit of space earth."

"Sweet!" Toph began bending the new strange earth in her hands, bending it to different shapes before setting it around her wrist in a bracelet.

**…..**

**Sorry if it was short! I've wanted to get a chapter out! I don't want to keep you guys hanging! :D RXR! **


	27. Chapter 25 A Close Escape

**So I really hope you all like this chapter! It took me a while to get this one done! I must have written at least 3 drafts before deciding on this one… and then this one took at least a week to write and edit. I wanted this one to be a really good one. Enjoy! :D**

**Chapter 25 - A Close Escape**

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It had been nearly a month since the Gaang arrived in the city, and it would only be another month until the comet came. There were many late nights spent where Aang, Sokka, Iroh and Zuko would toil away over plans of who to contact and how they would go about their plans. Soon, they would be leaving the city to meet up with the Southern Water Tribe warriors on Kyoshi Island, where hopefully the friends they had contacted for help would be, and then they would continue on to the Southern Air Temple. According to Aang, it was the best place for a large group to hide as it was nearly completely invisible to anyone who did not know where its location was. Until it was time to leave, Zuko and Katara spent their time helping Iroh in the teashop, it's popularity was bringing in more business than ever and it was too much for the old man to handle on his own.

It was just after noon when Zuko approached a table, the new customer's face hidden behind the menu of teas.

"Welcome to the Jade Dragon. What sort of tea could I get you today?"

"I've never been a fan of tea. I've always found it very…boring. Hello Zuzu" Azula lowered the menu to reveal herself, an evil smirk appearing on her face. "Glad to see me?" Zuko said nothing, shocked that his sister had been able to sneak in without any of them seeing her. "Oh come now…nothing to say to your _favorite_ sister? Well, if you're going to stand there, mouth open like a skunk-fish, at least make yourself useful and grab me a cup of uncle's new tea…perhaps I need to give it a try."

Zuko rushed to the backroom, grabbing Katara by the arm as she was headed to the serving area.

"Zuko! Wha-?" her speech was stopped as he clamped his hand over her mouth, his voice is a whisper.

"Azula is out there. I don't know what she is up to…but I want you to stay back here. I'll get Uncle and we'll try and get rid of her."

"Zuko. I'm plenty capable of taking care of myself."

"Katara… please?" Zuko's eyes were pleading, amber boring into cerulean. Katara nodded softly, stepping back towards the kitchen. Iroh did not need much explanation from Zuko as he headed back to Azula's table with him, with a fresh pot of his newest tea.

"Azula. To what do we owe this great pleasure?"

"You gain the pleasure of having someone of actual status in your tea shop Uncle." She turned up her nose, looking around the rest of the tea shop. Iroh poured her a cup of tea, gently shifting the cup in front of her.

"Azula, why did you come here? We both know this isn't just a family visit."

"Zuzu…you insult me. Can't a girl visit her favorite big brother? I had heard you were in town after all. Funny how knowing the right people always gets you the information you're looking for." She peered up to Zuko and Iroh, a strange look in her eyes. Slowly she reached for the cup, taking a sip of the red tea.

"I'm surprised Uncle. This may be your best tea yet." She slowly stood, heading for the door. "I'm sure it's on the house for family…bye bye Zuzu."

"She's up to something." Zuko finally murmured to his uncle after Azula had exited the shop. "We should warn the others, before she tries something worse."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"If Azula's in the city, then we'd better leave. She's most likely working with the Dai Li, and who knows what they'll try." Sokka paced back and forth in the sitting room of their house, the rest of the group spaced here and there among the cushions.

"We should leave as soon as the sun rises…we don't want to give Azula any more time to find us. She's too good of a tracker." Zuko hugged Katara closer to him as she gave a visible shudder, remembering the past times they had been found by Azula.

"Katara's right. We should all get some rest so we're wide awake for tomorrow wand we can leave first thing."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The sun was just barely rising when the Gaang began loading their things onto Appa. Toph, of course, was the hardest to wake. Zuko had tried twice before giving up, and now it was Katara's turn to try. She slowly opened the door, making her way over to the small earthbender. Over the time they had spent together, Zuko and Toph had grown close to one another. Toph looked up to him like an older brother, and he felt protective over the small girl, as powerful as she was, which was no wonder why he volunteered to wake her up instead of Katara; until he gave up that is.

"Toph?"

"Mmm—g'way"

"Toph, you need to get up." Katara shook her shoulder, attempting to rouse her.

"Get outta here Sparky..fiii…five m'mutes…"

"Alright then…if you really wanna do this the hard way." Katara bended a stream of water from her water pouch and cooled it just above freezing before dropping it on Toph's head.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Well well. Look who's finally up." Zuko turned to a dripping Toph as she stomped from the house, throwing her bag onto Appa's saddle.

"One more word Sparky and you'll be up to your neck in rocks."

"Hah. Right…" Zuko helped Toph up to the saddle to join the rest of the group.

"Well we'd better ge-" Out of seemingly nowhere an orb of blue flame came crashing down, striking the tree top next to Appa. The bison growled in objection as the group turned to see Azula standing on their roof, flanked by Ty Lee and Mai.

"Planning a little trip are we?" the smirk on her face was evil; cold. "You weren't going to leave without saying goodbye were you?" Azula jumped from the roof, shooting off more shots of flames at the Gaang. Zuko was the first to charge forward, stopping her attack and making his own.

"Go! I'll hold her off!" his miscalculation of turning his attention to tell the group to go cost him a strike and he was thrown back by Azula's attack. Katara quickly retaliated, bending water from the pond and hitting Azula backwards into the wall of their house. Ty Lee and Mai barely had a chance to land before they too were swept back by another wave of water.

"Katara! Watch out!" the waterbender had begun to run towards Appa but ducked at the warning of Zuko as he shot a ball of fire over her head, stopping the knives that Mai had thrown. Azula threw another shot of fire at Aang and he airbended himself over it, landing on the roof. While Toph, Katara and Zuko attempted to fight off Mai and Ty Lee, Azula was shooting attack after attack at Aang, leaving Sokka, Suki, and Iroh with the near impossible job of keeping Appa calm.

It was not long until the entire roof of their house was engulfed with flames and Aang had nowhere to jump but back to the ground. He landed just behind Toph, who had just sent a large boulder into Ty Lee.

"Get on Appa. I've got this." Katara sent a glare in the direction of their three attackers, bending the rest of the water from the pond and once again smashed the three girls into the wall of the house, freezing them there, before running up Appa's tail, closely flanked by Zuko.

"Let's get out of here!" Aang quickly flicked Appa's reins at Sokka's command and the bison took off, leaving the three girls frozen to the wall of what was once their house.

"Did we really just lose to them?"

"Did that cute guy get…cuter?"

"Oh shut up both of you!"

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**Well….i hope you all enjoyed it! For some reason, this was one of the hardest chapters I've written! I just couldn't get it to flow right. **


	28. Chapter 26 The Southern Air Temple

**Hey all! Sorry this chappy took so long to get out! My laptop decided it was going to give me lots of issues…so I sent it in for some repairs and it's gonna take a few weeks to get it back. Luckily my dad is letting me use his desktop to check my emails. Sooo…I snuck on while he was in bed to write and deliver my newest chapter! **

**Oh! And reader survey… how many readers would approve/disprove of Katara learning Blood bending? I think it's a valuable skill for her to have, BUT I don't know if you guys would want to deal with reading another two chapters or so of her gaining it…Let me know in reviews/emails!**

**Chapter 26 – The Southern Air Temple**

By the time the Gaang had reached their destination to the Southern Air Temple, it felt like they had been traveling for an eternity. After their escape from Azula's ambush, the group fled to their meeting point in Kyoshi Island. They were very grateful to have Hakoda, Bato, a few other members of the Southern Water Tribe warriors, Haru, Teo, The Duke, Pipsqueak all waiting for them to arrive. The younger ones all rode on Appa, while the rest of the invasion force followed along in the unmarked ship they had rode to Kyoshi in.

Appa was the most grateful to finally touch down to the ground. The kids all used his tail as a ramp to get down, Aang assisting Toph in her descent, before finally collapsing to his side, snores rumbling just seconds later. Teo, Haru and The Duke quickly began racing one another towards one of the long corridors of the Temple, eager to explore it's every corner.

"What's up with him?" Katara turned at Zuko's question, seeing him standing just behind her, arms folded.

"Who?"

"Haru… you seem like you-know him." His mouth turned down at one corner. Katara could only smirk, nudging Zuko with her arm.

"You're not jealous, are you?"

"Of him? Hah!" he turned his gaze away from where the boys had disappeared and looked to his feet.

"Hey…" Katara wrapped her arms around one of his, resting her chin against his shoulder, winning his gaze. "Haru and I are just old friends. I helped him and his father escape from prison." Seeing Zuko's facial reaction, she quickly relayed the story to him, sighing with relief when he said he did believe her.

"You're really amazing, you know that?"

Katara smiled smugly and walked ahead of Zuko.

"I do what I can." She looked back to him with a playful chuckle and he ran forward, chasing her in a flirting game of tag.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

As the rest of the day continued, Katara realized just how large their new family had grown. Her father, Bato and the three other men from their tribe had arrived just hours ago, making her realize that their group had now more than doubled in size. She groaned to herself as she realized this now meant twice the laundry, twice the cooking, twice the cleaning, and twice the babysitting.

Already her nerves were worn thin as all afternoon long she had to put up with multiple pranks from Toph and The Duke First was the water balloons, then they cry wolf game that claimed one or the other was lost or hurt. And of course Toph was relentless in calling Katara "Madam Fussy Britches". And. now Katara was trying to prepare a dinner for 16 people.

"Ughh! Almost!" Katara flicked the flint stones again, attempting to start a fire.

"Ya know, you could just ask for help." Zuko chuckled, smiling to the determined water bender.

"I've got this! I'm fine!" with another grunt of effort, Katara flicked the stones, and finally got her fire started. Before long she had a large pot of water over the fire and was gathering the multiple ingredients to place into what would soon be a stew.

"Eww….vegetables?"

"She always cooks those Dukie…she says they're "good for us""

"What's so good about veg-"

"Both of you will eat what I put in front of you or you'll go hungry!" Katara turned back to her stew, bending it around in the pot.

"Geeze Katara…you sound more like a mother everyday.."

"You're lucky I'm not your mother, or I'd send you to bed." Katara grumbled as she continued to stir the stew.

****

By the time everyone had finished with dinner, they had all dispersed throughout the temple, leaving a large mess for Katara to tend to. She grumbled to herself as she threw dish after dish into the cooking pot. Dinner had been boisterous, and loud; the Water Tribe warriors and her brother making loud, obnoxious jokes, with Toph joining in. It had left Katara with a headache. She turned, grabbing more of the dishes that everyone had left behind, not realizing Zuko had walked up behind her.

"Need a hand?"

"I'm fine! I've got this…"

"You just looked like you needed some help, so I thought I would-"

"Well don't!" Katara snatched the bowl he had picked up from his hands, throwing it into the pot with a loud clang.

"Katara, stop being so stubborn! You don't have to do this all alone. I can help!" Katara spun around to face him, the water in the pot splashing up towards the edges in her anger.

"What! Am I too weak to do this?"

"What? No! Katara I-"

"Am I doing something wrong?"

"What? Katara... I just want to help you. What's your problem?"

"Just leave me alone!" Katara turned, storming off, leaving behind a bewildered Zuko. He didn't even realize Aang and Sokka had walked up behind him, the rest of the group sitting a safe distance away, all staring in silence.

"Woah..what was that all about?"

"I have no idea Aang…" Zuko sighed, looking from where Katara had stormed off, to the mess that had been left behind.

****

It was just nearing sunset when Zuko finally found Katara. She was sitting by what was once a fountain, now empty, staring out into the sky.

"H-Hey.." Katara stood and turned quickly at Zuko's soft voice.

"Hey…"

"Im sorry." Their apologies overlapped one another, causing both to chuckle softly. Zuko stepped forward.

"I'm sorry Katara."

"No…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you the way I did. I'm just so stressed!" Katara turned back to her original view and plopped down to the ground, hugging her knees to her chest. "There's just way too much for me to handle now. The Gaang has doubled in size now, how am I supposed to take care of everyone?"

"You don't." Zuko's statement was simple. Too simple. He sat next to Katara, placing a hand on her shoulder as she looked to him with a confused expression. "You don't have to do everything Katara. If I've learned anything from this group, it's that we are all a family. And family is there to support and help one another. You don't have to take it all on by yourself."

"But it's all I know. It's what I've done…ever since Mom died."

"I know. And I think that's partly why I see a lot of my own mother in you." Katara was shocked by Zuko's statement, and he put a hand up to show he wanted to continue without interruption. "You're strong Katara…you're strong and loving and you never want to see any of us in trouble. You're always there. But that's just it… as much as it's appreciated…we don't need you to be our mother. We can all share the responsibilities. Like now; I got everyone to wash their own dishes and set up where they will be sleeping. You don't have to do it all Katara." He moved in, kissing her forehead.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Great! So, Aang will finish up his firebending training, Suki and I will go back and get the rest of the Kyohsi Warriors, and then we move in." Sokka looked around the large group, their plans for the invasion finalized.

"I can't believe it's already here…" Aang sighed, absentmindedly petting Momo.

"You're not scared, are ya Twinkle Toes?" Toph nudged Aang playfully, her blind eyes turning to where she assumed his face was. His hand sought out hers, squeezing it.

"Honestly? I am. What if it doesn't work?"

"Aang, it will. Don't worry"

"Yea, and even if it doesn't, we can always regroup and re-plan." Sokka joined in after his sister's encouragement.

"And what if one of us doesn't come back?" Aang's plain question silenced the entire group.

"Perhaps it is best for us to focus on the task ahead, instead of what if's. The spirit is not as strong, when it's mind is full of worries."

"Uncle is right. We can't charge in there expecting to lose. We need to keep our heads clear." Zuko stood up, walking to Aang and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You've learned extremely fast Aang, you're ready for this. " His eyes met Aang's who answered with a nod. "We should get to bed. We need to see Sokka and Suki off early tomorrow."

****

_Clack….rustle….Clack…rustle_

Zuko groaned, rolling out of his bed, and walked to the door of the room, barely making a sound. Katara stirred from sleep, having fallen asleep next to Zuko in the middle of their conversation.

"Zuko? What is it? Is something wrong?"

"Stay there… I hear something." Grabbing his duel swords from the corner of the room, he slipped out the door, tip toeing towards the sound that had awoken him. He turned the corner and headed toward the front of the temple. There he found Momo at the ledge's edge, leaping after a leechi nut and gobbling it up greedily. Zuko sighed, running a hand through his messy hair.

"Momo….go to bed." He turned, heading back to the room and threw his swords down, plopping back onto the bed.

"Is everything okay?"

"It's fine. It was just Momo after some leechi nuts. He must have stolen them from Aang's bag."

"Oh. I didn't know Aang had anymore leechi nuts. He must have been saving them. Oh well…at least we know it's not anyone after us, right?" Katara chuckled, laying back down. Zuko joined her laugh, wrapping an arm around her.

"Yeah…you're right."

Outside, Momo leapt at another nut as it dropped from above.

"I suppose I should be grateful his little lemur is so hungry. The Avatar will never make it to the Fire Nation…I'll make sure of that."

****

**DUN DUN DUNNNN! Cliffhanger! RXR! :) **


	29. Chapter 27 Something Odd

**New Chapter! Sorry it took so long to get this one up! I had an idea for the beginning and middle.. but as for the ending?...nothing was coming to me. So I gave it a rest for a little bit, focused on school work (cuz Lord knows THAT's been killing me) and then BOOM inspiration hit for MANY stories/chapters! Enjoy! RXR **

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**Chapter 27 – Something Odd

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The kids and Hakoda all woke up early the next morning to see Sokka and Suki off. They would be going to get the rest of the Kyoshi warriors, and then joining the rest of the Gaang for the invasion. Sokka parted from his sister's hug, and climbed up Appa's tail, heading for the reins.

"We'll see you guys soon. We'll meet up with you in three days. You guys be safe. Yip yip Appa." The bison did not get far from the temple before an arrow shot out of seemingly nowhere, missing Katara's head by just inches. It set itself into a nearby pillar, and the entire group turned, looking for the source in the early morning light.

"Who's there!" Zuko stepped protectively to Katara, fists ready to throw an attack.

"You'll get yourself killed doing that." The voice was quiet and low as it spoke.

"Show yourself!" Hakoda called out, his hand reaching for the knife at his waist.

Toph ran her foot across the ground in front of her, trying to spot where their intruder was coming from.

"Over there!" she pointed at just the right second as another arrow shot out and Zuko quickly swung his arm, a wall of fire deflecting it.

"Who are you?" Aang stepped forward this time, his grey eyes scanning the shadows the arrow had come from.

"All these questions…such a waste of time."

"Oh no…" Katara whispered, her body stiffening.

"It's not a safe idea for a firebender to jump out in the line of fire like that…" a bird call sounded and Aang was the next to stiffen, while Katara grabbed Zuko's arm. The voice chuckled bitterly.

"It's too bad you never decided to stay with me Katara... you could have been on the winning side."

"Jet." Katara's voice was both flat and threatening as the boy stepped forward from the ledge he was on, smirking his same smirk at the group.

"What are you doing here?" her voice was angry, as her hand tightened on Zuko's arm, willing herself to not run out and attack Jet.

"Oh, you mean you haven't heard? He's with me now…" The new voice came from Azula, as she stepped forward from the shadows, a cold smile playing on her lips.

"Azula! What are you doing here?"

"It's all thanks to my new tracker…he's very skilled. Why it took him practically no time at all to find you. Of course your lemur friend was of some help… it's a rather good thing he's hungry."

Zuko stepped forward from the group, surrounding his arms in fire. Azula and Jet however, did not move.

"That's not a very smart idea brother. You see: we're not alone." She looked to Jet as he whistled once more, and the ground swept out from under them, a group of Dai Li rushing to their sides to catch them in stone. Toph was the only one to catch herself, and attempted to fight, but unfortunately became distracted with the two in front of her, not realizing until too late, the cloth being brought up from behind her and wrapped over her nose and mouth. She fell with a dull thud as Aang yelled out, before he too was knocked out with another cloth of the putrid smelling substance. One by one the group went out. As they tied the group in ropes and loaded them into the airship Azula had waiting, she stopped the Dai Li, ordering him to leave the unconscious Hakoda against the stone fountain.

"Leave him… we have what we need."

Katara awoke groggily, sitting in a hard chair, her hands weren't tied behind her back anymore, but her water skin was gone. Her vision finally came into focus to see a room dimly lit by green lights. She turned her head, seeing the rest of her friends already awake, Zuko staring at her intently, as if he had been trying to wake her with his mind.

"Zu-Zuko?"

"You're awake. Good."

"Where are we?"

"It seems like we're underground. Really really deep underground…" Toph answered her question, running her feet along the floor. "But it's also kind of wet…so I can't see really well. It doesn't really matter though, we're so far down I couldn't get us up in time without the guards coming in.."

"Wait…where's Dad?"

"They didn't take him with us…Azula left him behind. I woke up on the airship…Jet was asking her why she left him. She said we didn't need him." Aang was looking towards the ground as he spoke, trying to contain his anger. The silence in the room was broken as a door from behind them was opened, and Jet stepped in. He wore his smug smile as he walked in and stood in front of them.

"Look what we caught. An Avatar…a fire nation prince…a fugitive…and a water bender."

"That's _Master_ Jet." Katara practically spit his name with venom, glaring at him. He only continued to smirk, crossing his arms.

"Just be glad it's me in here, and not Azula." His eyes flashed to Zuko, looking him up and down. "It's a shame you'll never make it to the Fire Lord-"

"I don't get it Jet…You hate the Fire Nation…Why on earth are you working for it now?"

"Simple…I've learned just how good _power_ can be." He smiled, making his way around Katara like a vulture-griffin.

"You mean evil." Jet only chuckled at her retort, standing in front of her once more to study her.

"You know Katara…you've always been smart. But sometimes you can be really stupid. Azula isn't evil. She's just completely committed to ridding this world of the weak and useless. See, that's where I was going wrong. I was trying to get rid of the good, powerful, people. But why? Heck…when Azula and I finish what needs to be done, I'll be right by her side, practically ruling this world with her."

"You're wrong Jet." Zuko glared at the boy in front of him. "Azula won't keep you. She'll toss you aside, just like she does with all her friends. You're a pawn, Jet." Jet's mouth twitched slightly at the corner, before he turned to Katara, standing over her, a strange dark glint in his eye.

"It's a shame you left me Katara…You could always come with me… you could be right at the top with us." He bent down, grabbing her chin and placing a kiss on her lips. Her eyes opened wide in shock, pulling away from him. Zuko made to stand, but before he could even get up from his seat, Katara's landed to the ground with a large clatter, as she bolted up. There was a loud, sickening crunch as fist met jaw, her fist moving at lightning speed. Jet stumbled back, holding his mouth.

"No…" Katara panted in anger, wishing she had her water-skin with her. "It's a shame I didn't finish you off on the island when I had the chance!" She charged at him again, reeling her fist back to strike. Jet managed to dodge and she struck again, her hand catching his fist. He smirked at her and her anger only grew.

Suddenly, she felt something odd as her anger bubbled inside her chest…it seemed something else was bubbling with her. Jet's smirked slipped away as his arm fell limply by his side, regaining its motion again in a few seconds. He grabbed his wrist, rubbing it as he studied Katara suspiciously, and…was that a glint of fear in his eyes? He backed out of the room, watching them as he did so, and locking the door behind him.

"Katara.." Zuko rushed to her side, holding her shoulders. "What-..are you okay?"

"I'm fine…I-" Katara paused, staring at her hands. What on earth had just happened? _"I'm just tired…I'm just imagining things is all.." _she shook her head to clear it, giving Zuko a small smile.

"I'm fine. Let's just figure out how we're going to get out of here.."

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**I hope you all enjoyed! Stay tuned for more!**

**And... if you want more stories, go check out my profile, where I have other Avatar stories, a Beauty and the Beast story, AANNND... a newly started Alice In Wonderland story! **

**Happy Halloween! :D**


	30. Chapter 28 A Discovery and an Escape

**A/N: I apologize if this isn't my best chapter... I have plans for the future ones, but the getting them out of there was a little tricky. (Granted I also wrote a chappie for my other story right before this one and was out late last night for Halloween so my mind's not what it should be :P) Anyway, I hope you all like the chapter. Thank you all who have read/enjoyed/reviewed/added/favorited my stories and me. It means a lot! :D **

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**Chapter 28 - A Discovery and an Escape**

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"I don't think anything's broken…just really bruised." Zuko was tenderly examining Katara's hand, feeling the knuckles. Once her initial anger had worn off after Jet's exit, she became blatantly aware of the throbbing pain in her hand. Zuko chuckled, placing a soft kiss on her knuckles.

"Ya know, that was pretty impressive… Not that I didn't think you couldn't punch-" He hurriedly added to defend himself "It was just really impressive."

Katara winced as his hands continued to inspect her knuckles, taking in a hiss of air. "Thanks…I just hope he's as hurt as I am. I should have left him frozen to that tree when I had the chance!" She looked away, clearly angry with herself.

"Hey!" Zuko took her chin, turning her face to make her look him in the eye. "Do _not_ blame yourself for anything. Okay? It won't change anything. And it wasn't your fault anyway." his eyes bore into hers as he waited for an answer. After a few breathes she nodded, sighing in defeat.

"So…how are we going to get out of here?" Katara looked around dark room, seeing no way out but the door. "Jet must have something planned, or he wouldn't have just left us in this room."

Zuko suddenly stood from where he sat on the floor with Katara, his attention on something on the far end of the wall. "_It couldn't be…could it?" _

"Zuko?" Aang called out to his friend who was slowly walking towards the wall. Without warning Zuko threw out a hand, sending a fireball barreling into the darkness. A bright green light practically erupted into the room, igniting a circle of green lanterns all the way around the area in which they were seated.

"No way...it all makes sense now." Zuko whispered, talking to himself more than the others. He walked towards the wall, placing a hand on the wheel the lanterns were all on. Katara joined him at his side, looking up to the fire nation prince.

"Zuko? …What is it?"

"This is how they're all being controlled…"

"Uh hello! Does anyone wanna tell the _blind girl_ what's going on?" Toph huffed from where she stood, folding her arms.

"It's more or less a giant pendulum! It's why everyone that works here doesn't talk about the war; it's how _Jet_ got brainwashed…" He turned back to his friends, eyes wide in realization. "We're under Lake Laogai. This is where they brainwash people." He walked back to the wheel, giving no room for questions as he continued to speak. "And this wheel…it's what they are using to basically hypnotize people."

"That makes sense! That's why no one is lying when they say there's no war! They really think that there ISN'T a war! If they're being brainwashed to think something else, then that's what they're going to believe!" Toph piped in, looking slightly more awake and interested now than she had been a few minutes ago.

"I bet you anything Jet is planning to brainwash us all. It's too bad for us he won't be able to…"

"Oh don't be so sure about that Zuzu…" The door slid open behind them, the slim dark figure stepping into the room.

"Azula!" Zuko stepped forward, shielding Katara behind him.

"You're very smart Zuko…figuring this all out on your own. Now if only you were better with fighting." Her hands ignited with blue and she propelled herself forward, moving to strike at Zuko. He stepped aside, moving Katara along with him, and struck forward, sending his own attack at Azula.

"Toph! Aang! Get us out of here!" Katara yelled back, backing up to her friends. She watched in fear as the fight between Zuko and Azula intensified, Zuko narrowly escaping a few of Azula's attacks. Azula continued to grow more angry and aggressive, growing more crazed as their fight continued. Azula yelled in a rage as she shot blue lightning towards Zuko. He took a deep breath and pointed his fingers towards the shot, redirecting the lightning. The strength of the lightning cause Zuko to stumble and the lightning instead shot off, hitting the stone ceiling above Azula, a large pile of rocks tumbling down top of her.

"Zuko! Come on!" Katara called for Zuko, and he ran, joining the rest of his group. They squeezed in close together, Toph earthbending them onto a pedestal.

"Hold on tight! This is gonna be rough!" She built up stone walls around them, and with Aang's help, sent the group shooting upwards and through the ceiling.

* * *

Finally, they reached the surface of earth, their stone elevator bursting open. Zuko gripped his side, still hurting from his redirection of the lightning and looked around.

"We need to find that airship… it must be close by. But hurry; Azula, and her guards won't be far behind." The group rushed off, following the only path the saw. It was by some amazing stroke of luck that they came across the very airship that had taken them to their prison. They rushed on, slamming the doors behind them just as the Dai Li rushed outside and towards them.

"We need to get out of here! Quick!" Zuko hurried to the controls, starting the ship up. As they rose into the air the ship shook, the result of one of Azula's attack hitting the side.

"Zuko! Hurry!" Aang looked out the window, seeing their enemies getting closer.

"Katara! Take the wheel. I have an idea." Zuko turned, hurrying for the engine. He wrenched the door open, thankful it was run on coal and flames. "Everyone hold on tight!" He shot fire into the engine, causing the ship to shudder and rise faster, propelling the ship forward with great speed.

"We need to get back to the air temple. With an extra ship we can get there even faster, instead of loading Appa up." Aang's hopeful voice called over from where he sat with Toph, holding her hand as the ship lurched forward with another blast of fire from Zuko.

"Right. Good plan. With any luck, we'll be to the temple before sundown."


	31. Chapter 29 It's Almost Here

**HARDEST CHAPTER TO WRITE...EVVARRRHHH! Seriously...I don't know why, but I had SO much trouble writing this chapter. I kept putting it off, because I just couldn't come up with any good ideas. Please don't hate me too much! :P**

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****Chapter 29 - It's Almost Here

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"They'll be on our tails eventually…we can't stay at the air temple for long, they know where we are now. And knowing Azula, she'll come back, with more help."

"What are we gonna do? They'll catch us if we stay in this hunk of metal forever, and trust me, I _don't_ want to be up here forever." Toph's comment was almost spiteful as she tapped a knuckle against the metal walls.

"Well…there is one other place we could go. It's not exactly anywhere anyone would think to look, and not anywhere Azula would care to go…it's our old beach home." Zuko's gaze turned out the windows, lost in thought.

"Well why wouldn't anyone go there?"

"Because – we haven't been there since we were actually a happy family."

"Oh…sorry." Aang hung his head, embarrassed at his question now.

By the time they had gotten back to the temple, everyone was well awake, huddled in a small circle, making a plan as to how to get the four free. But Zuko, Katara, Aang and Toph all surprised them by returning, and were in return surprised that Sokka and Suki had returned with many of the rest of the Kiyoshi Warriors. Iroh and Hakoda were of course infuriated, even more so Iroh as he had slept through the entire ordeal. Hakoda hurried to his injured daughter, hugging her tightly to him.

"What happened to you? Did that…_Jet _boy hurt you?"

"It was actually kinda the other way around…You've got a mean right hook there Sugar Queen."

Katara saw her father's and Iroh's confused looks and looked down in near embarrassment.

"Jet sorta went crazy…and he kissed Katara." Zuko gripped her shoulder, pulling her into his side.

"What?" Sokkka stood up, hand reaching for his sword even though Jet was nowhere near being around them.

"And she punched him, really hard."

"I think ya might have broken his jaw Sugar Queen."

Their silence was broken as Iroh let out a loud, hearty laugh, gathering Katara in a hug now.

"I always said you'd be able to protect yourself no matter what!"

Within hours they had all of their belongings packed and onto the ships and Appa, knowing Zuko's plan of their new hideout. Hakoda rode along on Appa with Zuko, Katara, Aang and Toph, while the rest of the group separated themselves among the airship and few other water ships.

"Won't somebody find it really suspicious if all of a sudden there's a giant airship, a bison and 3 ships just hanging outside of a fire nation beach?"

"Believe me, no one ever goes there. But I've got an idea anyway.." Zuko watched the horizon determinedly. After a minute he turned to Katara, taking her hands in his. "I feel like I always ask too much of you. But we need a way to anchor the ships here and get everyone to the island."

"I can do it. Just fly me down to the ships. Then the rest of you can worry about getting there."

Katara quickly bended a large slab of ice between the ships, and quickly ushered the group on once the ships were anchored. Moving her arms behind her, she bended the ocean water, propelling the ice sheet forward, keeping their ice frozen at the same time. Once they reached the shore, following Appa's giant form in the sky to get there, everyone hurried off, marveling at the large summer home in front of them.

"Funny…it always seemed so much nice when I was a kid." Zuko stared at the structure before turning to Katara, and gathered her in a hug, placing a chaste kiss on her forehead. "Thank you, Katara."

"Hey Zuko! Come on! We got some plans to make!" Aang's voice rang out from further up on the beach, as their ever growing group climbed the stairs into the home.

As the day passed by, Katara and Suki set to work on cleaning and dusting the summer home, as it was very apparent it had been ignored for years. Zuko had explained to Katara in privacy that after his mother had disappeared, some of her more loyal servants had continued to clean the house for the following few years, but soon lost hope of her return and stopped coming. While the girls cleaned, Katara had hardly paid any attention to the small circle of men including Zuko, her father, Sokka and Uncle, and only became slightly suspicious at their loud and celebratory cheer, at which Sokka excused that it was simply their excitement at winning the war. After night had fallen, dinners were eaten, and their final plans were set in place, everyone had wandered off to bed, which left Katara to be standing alone in her own room, staring out her window towards the large moon. It seemed closer and brighter that night, and Katara wondered to herself whether Sokka was looking at it as well.

A quiet knock on her door broke her from her thoughts and she turned to it, seeing Zuko walk in. He looked troubled as he continued in her direction, making sure the door was shut behind him.

"Zuk-?" Katara barely got her question out as Zuko took her into his arms, smashing his lips against his own. The kiss was more than passion…it was desperate, his arms holding her tightly against him, his hands pressing into her back in an attempt to bring her as close to him as he possibly could. When he broke away his face did not go far as he rested his forehead against her own.

"Zuko?..." Katara's voice was a quiet pant, her eyes turning up to his as best as she could, not wanting to break their embrace.

"Katara…I really love you."

"I love you too." Something in her brain clicked then, as Katara realized Zuko's desperation as fear. Fear for the war that was coming, fear of what _could_ happen. She wrapped her arms ever tighter around him, if that was at all possible, resting her head into the crook of his neck, her voice a soothing whisper. "I love you too."

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**Honestly? I hate this chapter...except for the ending part. I apologize for the suckiness...and the wait. My muse kinda ran off recently. I've been having some problems in the love and heart department and she decided now was a good time to take a vacation from stories. Damn the muse. **

**Anywhoo...I hope you all at least dont HATE the chapter and will keep reading :) **

**Happy Thanksgiving to all that celebrate it!  
**


	32. Chapter 30 The Summer Home

**So talk about inspiration kicking you in the royal you know what! There I was..laying down, relaxing from my extremely long day of working a suuuper early morning opening of Black Friday… and there on the t.v. comes on none other than The Puppetmaster! (the AtLA episode…not the movie). Gave me just the inspiration I needed for this chatper! Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 30 - The Summer Home**

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"So which one of you babies was screaming in your sleep last night?" Toph rested her feet on the table with a loud thump as she joined their breakfast, her question met with silence.

"Toph…no one was screaming last night." Katara looked to her friend, thinking she had gone crazy.

"Well I heard _something._"

"This is a rather large island; we are not the only ones here. Perhaps you heard someone from the other side." Iroh took a hearty sip of his tea, turning his gaze to Toph.

"Well are we safe to at least look around for food? We can't not eat for the next few days."

"There are plenty of places to hunt. And of course, if we are extra careful, we could send some of our erm…lesser known faces into a town for food."

"Iroh?" Hakoda looked to the old man, curious as to his idea. "Is that really a safe idea."

"I don't see why not. As long as those of us who are wanted don't go, and only a few who aren't known go in disguise, I don't see why we can't get enough food to last us for the rest of the week at least."

It was decided that a few of Suki's girls and a couple of the water tribe men would go in disguise of the clothes left in the house and shop in the small town just on the other side of the island. This left Zuko, Katara, Sokka, Suki, Aang and Toph free to search the area surrounding the summer home. Although they didn't dare go very far, they did explore through the surrounding woods towards the mountains.

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It was a particularly sunny day when their "shopping team" left for the town, leaving the rest of the group to wander about the home and beach. It was this day that found Aang and Iroh involved in a game of Pai Sho as Suki, Sokka and Toph watched on. Katara and Zuko however, were wandering about the summer home, gathering what few supplies were still there.

"Aww look! It's a little baby Zuko! You were _so cute!_" Katara ran over, pinching his cheek with one hand, a rolled up parchment in her other.

"What? Katara, ow!" Katara only laughed in response, unfurling the picture in her hand. She revealed the portrait of a small, round, smiling baby boy, a curl of black hair topping his head.

"That's not me…"

"But he's so cute!"

"That's my father."

"B-but.."

"I know; strange right? How someone so innocent could turn into a cold-blooded killer. Almost as strange as how our family could go from being happy to being…what we are now." Katara placed a hand on Zuko's shoulder, casting the picture away.

"Zuko…I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Don't be, it's fine. Now come on, let's get outside and watch Uncle pummel Aang in Pai Sho."

* * *

As the afternoon rolled by, the gaang left the adults behind at the house to do a bit of exploring in the woods. Aang quickly jumped in stride with Toph, lacing his fingers with hers, receiving a small smile in response. Their walk was met with silence except for the birds and sounds of nature.

Suddenly Toph stopped mid-stride, nearly pulling Aang backwards off his feet as she stopped, their hands still intertwined.

"Hey…what's that?"

"What's what?" Aang rubbed the shoulder that had been tugged in the pull, looking around.

"It's over that way." Toph pointed off towards a seemingly empty area filled with trees. "It feels like a house."

The small double story house was rather dilapidated, and was covered in vines as if it were growing out of the earth itself. It was hidden among a throng of trees, and looked as if no one had lived there in years. Sokka took a cautious step towards the house, clearly intending on walking in, when Katara wrenched his arm back, stopping him in his tracks.

"Sokka! What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm exploring!" He paused, taking in Katara's incredulous look. "Awww, com'on Katara! Where's your sense of adventure?"

"Is this your sense of adventure? Breaking into someone's house?" Suki folded her arms, tilting her head to one side, a singular thin eyebrow cocking up.

"Oh come on! It's not like anyone lives here! Right Toph?"

"Well, he's kinda right. There's no one here right now."

"Yes!-"

"That's not to say they aren't just out right now."

"I say we check it out…I didn't really know there was anyone out here." Everyone looked to Zuko, shocked that he would be suggesting such an idea, but followed suit as he cautiously entered through the front door, looking around the open front room. It was clear someone inhabited the house, but was not the cleanest person in the world.

"All I can feel is dust. Does this person ever clean?"

"Might as well have a look around."

As the gaang explored the house, they came to a locked door on the second floor.

"Who locks a door in their own house?" Sokka knelt at the doorknob, attempting to peek in. Toph's head shot up suddenly, ears tuned in to the noises outside.

"Someone's coming." The gaang had just barely made it to the front door when a ragged old woman entered the doorway.

"Well I wasn't expecting visitors."

"We-We're really sorry ma'am. We were just-"

"Just curious I suppose? Yes, I suppose an old house in the middle of nowhere does look pretty suspicious. Well I never get visitors, why don't you stay for lunch?"

"Uhm…" the gaang collectively looked around the house and to one another, unsure of what to answer when the woman's gazed traveled over them. "You're not from the fire nation."

"Uhm…no. How'd you know?" It was Sokka's turn to speak, as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"A fire bender would have struck me down instantly."

"Right…hah…"

"My name's Hama. Yours?"

"I'm Katara…this is Sokka, Toph, Aang, Suki, and…"

"Hakoda. It is a pleasure to meet you." Zuko had stepped forward, giving a small respectful bow to Hama. Katara could only stare at him open mouthed, shocked at his disguise, and the choice of name he used.

"Kind of strange for a bunch of kids to be wandering around the woods."

"Well we're…camping. Yea! Camping, just around the woods." Aang grunted as Toph elbowed him in his stomach, stunting his speech.

"It's not safe to be alone in the woods at night…people have a tendency to _disappear._"

"Disappear… right." Sokka chuckled nervously before turning his gaze to Zuko, mouthing the word _"crazy"_ as the old woman turned to place her basket of food onto the table.

For such a ragged and crazy looking old woman, Hama turned out to be an excellent cook. While she cooked, Suki and Katara had managed to at least get the kitchen and table cleaned, and set the table to be presented with the soup and bread Hama had whipped up. They had only just sat down when Hama's eyes flashed to Katara's neck.

"You're from the Water Tribe!"

Katara's hand flashed to the gem, wrapping her fingers around it.

"Oh don't hide it! It's a lovely necklace. I bet you made it for her, didn't you Hakoda?" Zuko's face turned bright red at her question, but was saved by Katara's interfering answer.

"It was my mother's…she got it from my grandmother Kanna."

"Kanna…" Hama's eyes seemed to flash as she stared ahead into nothingness. "F-from the Southern Water Tribe?"

"Yes?"

"I knew your grandmother…she was my closest friend."

* * *

Hours passed by as Hama told the gaang the story of how she and Kanna had grown up together, and how over time, the Fire Nation had dwindled away their numbers of water benders. When her story ended, Hama looked up to Katara, her eyes glinting rather oddly.

"Katara, I would like to teach you what I know."

"I would be honored to learn from someone who mastered in the Southern Water Tribe style." Katara couldn't help her growing smile as she looked to the old woman whom she now felt so much closer to, as if a part of her grandmother was with her all these miles away.

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**You may have noticed I changed a few details. For some reason I just never really liked Hama being an inn owner. She just seems to ragtag and crazy to be a clean and helping person...let alone have the mental capacity to keep up an inn. Sooo...I changed her dwellings. Because of course..what would this story be if I didn't make my own ideas? :)**

** So how was everyone's Thanksgiving? Hope it was well! Oh! And if anyone (like I first did) would like to question why our friends decided to eat with this crazy old woman whom they barely knew…just ask Sokka. "Hey! It's free food, and I never say no to free food!" :P**

**RXR  
**


	33. Chapter 31 The Water Witch

**Many many thanks to all who have commented and added as of recently! And of course to my fans who have followed along with me all the way through the creation of this story! **

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**Chapter 31 - The Water Witch**

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The children had somehow been able to convince Hama that they were perfectly safe walking back to their "campsite" and that they would stay in the safety of their father's view once the sun went down to prevent anyone from disappearing mysteriously.

Bed time found everyone but Katara and Zuko in bed, the couple instead lay out on the large cushy chaise chair in the sitting room of the summer home, a warm fire roaring in the fireplace. Katara was cuddled into Zuko's chest, her head resting in the crook of his neck as his arms encircled her.

"Soo…why exactly did you tell Hama that your name is Hakoda?" Zuko chuckled at her question, squeezing her a bit closer.

"My name is one of the most known in the Fire Nation…I couldn't risk it. I thought your father's name was a very fitting name for a disguise."

They drifted off into silence for a moment, before Zuko finally spoke again, his voice soft.

"Ya know Katara…I was thinking, after the war is over and everything, maybe you don't have to go back to the South Pole…yo-" his speech was interrupted by a deep exhale, and he shifted his head slightly to see Katara fast asleep on his shoulder. Her peaceful form brought a smile to his lips as he kissed her forehead, allowing himself to drift off to sleep with her.

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"I'm sure you learned many things in the North Pole, but I can teach you things only very few know. As a water bender, we often reside in places where water and snow are easily accessible. But if you're stuck in a dry and desolate place, you need to find other ways to get water."

Hama and Katara found themselves in a small clearing in the woods, the old woman had led Katara to the place from her house, inquiring along the way the training she had had along the way.

"I once met someone who lived in a swamp and controlled the plants using the water inside of them."

"A very resourceful idea indeed. But did you know you can take it even further? There is water in more places than you would think." Hama swung her hand over her head, far more agile than Katara believed the old woman could move, and a stream of water came from a small tree behind Hama, the tree itself shriveling up into death. Hama continued to lead the water down onto her hand, freezing it into icy claws. "If you use your head, water can be found in practically everywhere." She threw her hand back, the claws flying into another tree, where they stuck and stayed.

"I never thought about it like that."

"You can even pull water out of the thin air. Focus on it Katara…can you feel the moisture in the air? Pull at it Katara…find it. Use it."

Katara spread her arms out on either side, focusing her mind on the moisture in the air. She threw an arm up, whipping it around, pulling a stream of water with her hand as she moved. Her face broke out into a large smile as she led the stream over a gathering of wild flowers, dropping the water on them.

"That was very good Katara. You are a very quick learner. I have another lesson for you, but it is best done at the full moon. Meet me tonight and I will give you your final lesson."

"B-but didn't you already say how dangerous it is to be out alone at night?"

"Katara…Two Master Waterbenders should hardly find a problem against anyone."

"Well…alright! I'll meet you tonight!" Katara gave the old woman a respectful bow before running off back to the gaang, excited at the prospect of what she expected to be a fantastic lesson.

* * *

"No. Absolutely not. I don't want you going anywhere alone with that crazy lady."

"You didn't think she was so crazy when she was feeding you." Katara cast a cold eye to her brother.

"Well…t-that was different!"

"Ya know, there is something kind of weird about this town." The voice came from Lini, one of the girls from Suki's warriors. "When we were there, everyone was really scared and trying to get home before sundown. Something about people disappearing at night with the full moon."

"More of that disappearing story? Okay, nope, no way! There's no way you're going Katara!"

"Sokka, this is probably the one and only chance I'll get to learn water bending from someone from the Southern Water Tribe. I'm not going to let you stop me." And with that, Katara slammed her plate down and stood up, storming from the room and outside, unstopped by anyone.

* * *

"As I told you earlier Katara, water can be found in all sorts of places. When you're in a dry place, you have to learn to use what's around you. When they captured us, they brought us to a dry prison in the Fire Nation. It was made of dried wood and metal, and water was nowhere to be found. When they gave us our suppers we were bound so we couldn't move, and were monitored as we drank, and if you stepped out of line, you got nothing but painful punishment." The old woman's eyes drifted up to Katara's, whose were wide as she listened to the story. "It wasn't long before I could no longer take the harsh conditions they had us in, and that was when I realized the connection I had with the moon." The duo walked through the dark woods, the bright full moon was the only light to guide their way.

"That's right…I remember when I was in the North Pole. I was taught about the connection that water benders have with the moon."

"Very good Katara. I began to realize that there was water in more places than I had ever imagined. I was weak, but with time and practice, and every passing of the full moon, I grew stronger. I needed to escape. But how? It didn't take me long to pay attention to the filthy rats that scurried across the floor of my cell. I realized then, that where there is life, there is water_, _and that those dirty creatures were nothing more than bags of skin full of liquid. I knew if I could do it with rats, then surely I could do the same with people. I spent years perfecting my skills that would soon lead to my escape…my own creation. _Blood Bending; _Taking control of the water in another body, and forcing it to bend to your will. I started with rats, honing my skills, gaining my strength. I mastered the rats, and I was ready for the men that had taken me from my home and killed my family. I waited for the perfect full moon. Finally there came the day when I escaped. I broke out, my cell unlocked by the very guards who had locked me in."

"Hama….I don't know if I like this." Katara could barely manage a whisper, her eyes, which had once been full with excitement, were now wide with fear.

"How do you think I've managed to make it this long? Look! Look at the full moon Katara! Can't you feel it's powers coursing through your veins! I've stayed free this long! And if we want to end this war, you too must learn. If you master this technique, you can control anyone!"

"But…c-controlling other people? Reaching inside of them? I don't think I want that kind of power." Katara made to take a small step back and the old woman rounded on her.

"Think about it Katara! They threw me in jail to rot! They captured our brothers and sisters and wiped us out! The power is there inside Katara! It is your _duty_ to perfect it, and use it against those who fight against us and win the war! We are the last Water Benders! Think of your mother." Her voice lowered to a growl as she started Katara down.

"I know…but still…."

"The choice is not yours Katara. You will carry on my work! For our culture and to wipe out the Fire Nation!"

"It's you!" Katara's face lit up in realization. "You're the one who's behind the people disappearing!"

"They tried to wipe us out! They tortured my brothers and sisters! They deserve the same! And _you will help me_!"

Katara's heart dropped as a voice in her head screamed at her _"Sokka was right". _Hama's face was twisted evilly as she glared at Katara. "I won't help you Hama. I won't do it!" Suddenly Katara felt a pain in her arm before it was wrenched out and then behind her of seemingly its own accord. Slowly she was brought down to her knees, her hands wrapped behind her, pulling at her shoulders painfully.

"You should have learned the technique before defying me Katara. You have no way of escaping me now. I control every muscle, every vein in your body! You are entirely in my control." Hama cackled evilly, her face contorted in a wicked smile.

Tears streamed down Katara's face as pleaded with Hama. Slowly Katara focused on the moon, gathering her strength. Slowly she stood, focusing on the water in the environment around them.

"You're not the only one who draws their power from the moon, Hama. I'm a lot stronger than you are, and I won't let you control me!" Katara threw her hands up, gathering a large amount of water from the grass below her and sent it flying at Hama, who volleyed it right back. Katara was ready and expecting this move however and retaliated back. She caught the old woman by surprise as she threw her attack back once more, the water expanding into a wall of ice as it rounded on the old woman who attempted to throw it back. She succeeded, only to have Katara throw another attack at Hama in her distraction, and deflected the last attack, watching the old woman fall to the ground. She glared at Katara, her breath coming out in heavy, ragged pants.

"I won't do your dirty work Hama. Good bye." Katara turned to walk away and heard a shout from the woods. She turned, seeing Zuko, Aang and Sokka running towards her, behind them a group of people, followed by Toph.

"We told you! We told you there was something weird going on! She's been the one taking all those people!"

"Sokka! I know…"

"Oh, you do? Well…_ahem_…give up Hama! We know what you've done!"

"You really think you can all stop me?" she cackled again, and before the kids could blink, Aang and Sokka were both rushing towards Katara, as if being dragged by another force. Katara grit her teeth and threw out another attack, this time at her brother and friend, sending them toppling sideways into the trees.

"Sorry guys!" Katara winced at she heard the thud as they hit the solid trees and fell to the ground in heaps.

"You really think it's that easy do you? You need to learn a lesson in loss!" Hama threw her hands out once more, this time sending Aang and Sokka at one another, Sokka's sword pointed straight for Aang's heart. And then, as suddenly as they had begun to move, they stopped. All eyes went to Hama, whose face was full of fear. She stared at Katara, and everyone's eyes followed. Her mouth was set in a grim line as she controlled Hama's arms and the rest of her body down to the ground, dropping her there as a few of the men from the newly released group bound her hands together, dragging her off.

"You're gonna sit in jail for a long time, you Water Witch."

"It doesn't matter now…" Hama's voice was almost back to that grandmotherly sweet tone as she turned her gaze to Katara. "My work here is done." Her gaze turned evil, mouth turning up at the corners.

"Congratulations Katara…you're a blood bender." Her voice broke out into an evil cackle that echoed through the woods as she was led away.

Katara fell to her knees, sobs wracking her body. Sokka rubbed his sister's back soothingly as she cried, before she was scooped up into Zuko's arms. He gently picked her up and carried her out of the woods and back home, his mouth set firmly, as his hatred for the old woman flared.

* * *

Zuko gently shut the door behind him, joining Hakoda, Sokka, and Iroh in the kitchen, the rest already asleep long ago. He sighed as he sat down, graciously taking the tea his uncle offered.

"How is she?" the worried question was voice from Sokka as he stared at his friend.

"Asleep. I think she just finally wore herself out." He took a long drink from his tea before slamming the cup onto the table with a dull thud. "How dare she! That…that evil _witch!"_

"Nephew…we are all upset. But continuing to be angry will not do us any good._ "Anger is like holding a hot coal intended to throw at someone else. It will hurt you more."_."

"You're right…thank you Uncle."

"I want to thank you Zuko, for taking care of my daughter. I can't imagine how rough this is for her right now…" Hakoda looked down to the table, feeling guilty he couldn't help his daughter more. Sensing how he felt Zuko looked to him, catching his eye once more.

"You are a good father sir, I know Katara regards you very highly and loves you very much. And don't worry; she's going to be okay. She's strong." Hakoda nodded his thanks in response, standing from the table.

"We should all get to bed; we need all the rest we can get. Tomorrow, we start moving in on the Fire Lord."

Slowly the rest of the group filed out of the kitchen and into their bedrooms, an eerie foreboding seemed to fall over the house at Hakoda's reminder of just how close they were to the comet and the war. Zuko stayed up a little while longer, staring at Katara, his heart nearly breaking for the pain that evil woman had put her through. He gently brushed a strand of hair from Katara's eyes, his gaze falling to the blue pendant resting on the hollow of her throat, glistening in the sliver of moonlight falling through the window. He gave a great sigh before laying down, eventually drifting off to sleep.

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**Yes yes… I know….I committed a sin and made it a bit like the episode. After careful consideration, I finally decided it was best to have at least this one bit be like the show, yet still with my own ideas as well. Don't shoot me! I hope you all like this chapter and thanks again to everyone for reading and reviewing :) it keeps me goin'! **


	34. Chapter 32 The Day of the Eclipse

**It's here! The next chapter! Apologies for the delay! School got reallly nutso what with it reaching the end of the semester. Enjooyyy! :D

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**Chapter 32 - The Day of the Eclipse  
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Finally the day came, the day that they had all been waiting for so anxiously. The sun was just rising into the sky and the ships and Appa were all already loaded and ready to go. Appa and the rest of the kids took up the lead, the airship and water ships followed along in formation.

"Now remember, when we get in there, we head for the palace, Dad and everyone else will fight off the rest of the army. I'm willing to bet that Azula will have a few Dai Li agents on her side. Now we have to be stealthy and quick and-"

"We _know_ Snoozles."

"Right…right…sorry. I'm just nervous."

"We all are…it's okay Sokka." Suki gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

* * *

It seemed forever when the ships finally reached their destination. They quietly exited the ships, the airship hovered above, watching as those on foot entered from the back docks, running towards the palace. They had only just run through the gates when Iroh and Hakoda stopped, looking around.

"Wait…something here isn't right. Shouldn't there have been guards? Or _anyone?"_ Hakoda questioned the veteran fire general. The entire area was void of any life besides that of the invasion.

"You're right…something is not right. It is either a trap, or they are all gone."

"So what do we do Uncle?"

"You kids stick to the original plan. We'll stay here and keep a look out. Hurry! The eclipse will start in just a moment." Everyone lowered the specially invented glasses over their eyes, still standing at attention.

Zuko stared at his Uncle for a moment before nodding, turning towards the palace, the rest keeping pace with him. No sooner had they entered the palace that they paused once more.

"Okay, something is _definitely_ not right here." Suki looked around, fans lowering as she did so. "Toph?"

"There's...no one here…" she ran her feet over the ground. "Wait. This way!" she pointed down hallways, which only caused the rest of the group to look to Zuko, as he was the only one who would really know where anything was in the palace.

"The throne room." And with that they hurried forward.

"Don't you think it's a little strange we haven't come across, well…_anybody!" _You'd think we'd at least find someone."

When they finally approached the ornate closed doors Toph made no hesitation in busting them open,

"Well, well, well brother, it's about time you showed."

"Azula! But, how? …"

Azula was the lone figure in the room, sitting comfortably in the ornate throne. It was obvious she had been waiting for the Gaang. A strange smirk spread across her face as she eyed the group.

"Why are you here?"

"Can't a girl enjoy the comforts of the throne she is surely soon to gain?"

"Where's the Fire Lord?" Aang pointed his staff towards the teen, glaring at her.

"Oh you mean you haven't guessed? It's really quite funny. We knew all about your little plan to defeat Father during the eclipse, so we made plans of our own."

"How did you find out?"

"Oh yes…well you see Zuzu, you and your friends said some _very _interesting things down in Lake Laogai. We knew exactly how you planned to run in here, attack father while all fire benders are completely powerless during this eclipse, and essentially win the war. Now you know of course, that I just couldn't let that happen." Azula smiled darkly, her eyes trailing over to Katara, her smirk deepening.

"You'll never get your honor back if you keep hanging around with people of _her_ caliber Zuzu. You'd be much better off with someone fire nation. How about Mai? I know Father would approve." Behind him, Zuko felt Katara tense, her hands balling into fists, as one of those fists slowly reached for her water skin.

"There are more important people I would rather pledge my honor to than Father, Azula."

"Whatever you say." The Fire Nation Princess yawned boredly, stretching as she did so. "It's too bad you came as early as you did. We could really have had a_ flaming_ good time."

At her words Sokka's eyes opened wide in realization. He reached forward for Zuko's arm, keeping his voice low.

"Come on, she's just trying to goad us on and keep us here. She wants to waste our time until the eclipse is over. I'm sure she's got a whole bunch of fire nation soldiers just waiting somewhere for us."

"You're partially right,_ I_, however, am all alone."

"...They've hidden him. Somewhere secret. Why didn't I think of it before?" Zuko sheathed the dual swords he had been holding, glaring at his sister.

"You always were the slow one Zuzu…" Azula smirked at her brother as he grunted in frustration, holding himself back from attacking her.

"Come on, the eclipse will be over soon." Sokka took the cue from Toph's silence, that not only was Azula not lying, as far as she could tell, but that no one else was waiting for them in the palace.

* * *

Outside, however, was a different story. As they reached the exit of the palace Toph realized that the once many still feet of their invasion team was now doubled and moving around frantically. The entire invasion force was caught in a rough fight with a slew of Dai Li agents. The invasion force was faring well, as none of the Fire Nation Soldiers dared to come out during the eclipse. A large wave of icy water slammed into a Dai Li as he snuck up on the back of her father as he fought with another Dai Li agent.

"Dad! We've got to get out of here! The Fire Lord isn't here!"

"It's a set up! They're trying to keep us here until the eclipse is over!" Bato yelled over as he slammed his opponent into the ground. He grabbed the horn that hung at his chest and sounded off the alarm for the invasion to back out and head towards the ships.

"So…who's Mai?" Katara was curled into Zuko's side as he absentmindedly stroked her hair. Hakoda and Iroh's "It's-not-the-end-of-the-world-we-can-replan" speech had done very little to cheer anyone up. Their months of planning had seemed to be for waste, and left everyone in a rather sour mood, which led to everyone heading to bed early.

"She's an old friend of Azula's. When we were kid's she would tease us relentlessly. I get the feeling Mai harbored feelings for me, and Azula wanted to see how much she could use it to her advantage." He shifted to get a better look at Katara. "You're not _jealous_?"

"Who? Me? …Maybe a little." She rested her head back down once more, hiding her blush. Zuko chuckled, his laugh vibrating into her as he hugged her closer.

"Well trust me, you have nothing to worry about."

Silence grew over the pair, sleep threatening to consume both of them, when suddenly Katara's eyes shot open, and her body shooting into a sitting position.

"Oh no."

"What is it?"

"Azula…remember what she said about Lake Laogai? I think she knows…about the comet."

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_**Cue ominous Avatar music. What will our heroes do now? As always, I own nothing. Avatar belongs to Mike and Bryan. I just come up with the ideas for this story :). **_


	35. Chapter 33 The North Pole

**Hello hello all! Hope you all enjoy this new chappie! RXR and enjoy! :D

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**Chapter 33 - The North Pole**

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The next morning found the entirety of their group seated in a large circle, set on making plans of what to do next. Katara and Zuko, Sokka and Suki, Aang and Toph, Iroh, Hakoda, Bato, Haru, Teo and his father, as well as Pipsqueak and The Duke, the girls from the Kyoshi Warriors and The Water Tribe Warriors all sat, eager to make a new plan after their last had failed so unexpectedly.

"We can't let ourselves be discouraged. While this was a major setback, we have to stay focused. The comet draws ever closer and we need to strike. Does anyone have any ideas?" Hakoda looked around the large group, hands folded behind his back. Sokka, seated to his right, stood as he spoke.

"We only have a few weeks until the comet. If we wait till then….it's too late."

"But we can't just jump right back in, they'll be expecting that!"

"Believe me, if Azula really does know about the comet, and trust me, she does, she'll form an even bigger army to ambush us- if she hasn't already." Zuko spoke from his seat, hands folded on the table in front of him, instead of focusing on Aang to answer his argument. "If we were to attack that during the comet we'd be sure to lose."

"So, what do we do?" Hakoda gripped his son's shoulder, clearly set on letting Sokka take the lead of their mission plan.

"There's a couple more people I think we should ask to join us; Pakku and Chief Arnook, some of the Northern Tribe Warriors, and Piandao. I think they'd be a great asset. Then I think we should spend the rest of the time making sure Aang is totally mastered in Firebending. We need to be able to get Aang in there, and hold everyone else off so that he has a clear shot towards the Fire Lord."

"It's a good plan. But we still need to decide when we invade…again."

"Now that my brother knows about the comet, he will surely be making plans of his own. He is crazy, but like Azula he uses others to do his bidding. He will be getting more members for his army as we speak. What we will need is our own element of surprise-"

"We do it at night…when the moon is up."

A silence fell over the crowd at Katara's words. Up until now she had been completely silent, glaring at the table in front of her. Zuko reached for Katara's hand, his eyes begging for hers to meet his.

"Katara?"

"They'd never expect us at night. And if the moon is out…well let's just say our chances will be better." her gaze shifted back to the floor.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sick of Azula always ruining everything. She's chased us for too long now. And I'm sick of this war. It all just needs to end. And if someone needs to sacrifice something for that to happen, then so be it."

* * *

"Iroh said he knows where to find Piandao. Katara and Zuko will travel down to find Pakku, and that leaves us to find Chief Arnook…hopefully he'll agree to come along." Sokka ran over the plan once more as Suki leaned into his side, Appa's reins held firmly in his hands. They had already been flying for almost a week, and were just landing in the North Pole. It had been decided that Sokka and Suki would travel atop Appa to the North Pole, and Katara and Zuko would sail to the South Pole to find Pakku with Hakoda, deciding it would be more beneficial if they all split up. Suki was wrapped in a thick cloak of skin and furs; it was with great fortune that she fit into Katara's, as she would greatly need it in the frozen lands of the North Pole.

"Why wouldn't he? I mean, Aang did help to defeat the invasion there, didn't he? I'm sure he'd be glad to help."

"Uh yeah...yeah." Sokka looked away, almost guiltily before snapping back to Suki with a bright smile. "I'm sure you're right. Pakku will totally come along!" Suki raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced by his avoidance of the topic, or the name.

"It's that girl, isn't it? The one you told me about?"

"Yue." Sokka looked down, clearly gloomy, and feeling guilty that he needed to have this discussion with Suki.

…..

"_I need you to protect Yue for me Sokka. I trust you. Keep her safe."_

…_.._

_He watched the beautiful figure as she fell to the ground, catching her before she hit. He knew she was already gone as he cradled her head. Slowly her form faded away, a ghostly figure forming before him._

"_I'll always be with you…."_

_Their kiss was sad and soft, Yue pulling away before her form disappeared, the pearly white moon reappearing in the sky._

…

"I was supposed to protect her; I was supposed to keep her safe. And I couldn't even do that. What if I can't protect you?" He turned his gaze to Suki, eyes full of pain.

"Sokka…she knew what she had to do. The moon spirit gave her life, and she knew it was time to return the favor. You did your job, and Y-Yue did hers." Suki tried to push off the stutter for a shiver, hoping it was convincing enough with the freezing cold temperatures. Sokka helped her down from Appa, and wrapped her into a tight hug, one hand cradling the back of her head; his voice was a soft whisper.

"I'd never be able to forgive myself if something happened to you." Slowly two pairs of lips moved towards one another, eyes closing as they made contact.

"Ah! Sokka. It has been a long time."

"_Darn it…great timing." _

Sokka pulled away, keeping a hand on the small of Suki's back as he turned to see Chief Arnook, bowing in respect.

"Hello sir."

"By the look of your face I take it you're not here on a personal visit? …Where is the Avatar?"

"Sir, I think we'd better find a place to sit down where we can talk."

* * *

"I don't know about this Sokka. After that _Zhao_ was here last time…I don't know if I would be able to work side by side with Firebenders."

"Sir, believe me, I felt the same way at first too. But Zuko and Iroh are actually really good guys. Iroh is one of the best strategic minds we have, and Zuko is strong and smart. Look- I _know_ last time things didn't go as we had planned, but Yue wouldn't want us to just give up and sit back. She'd want us to keep fighting."

Sokka had spent roughly the past hour replaying their last invasion and the new plan to Arnook. As was anticipated, the Chief was extremely leery of working with fire benders, let alone the once Crown Prince to the Fire Nation, and a retired general.

"I don't know if I feel comfortable with this…." Sokka sighed heavily at his pause, deflating in defeat. "_But, _if it means we could finally end this war, then I'm in. I can gather the troops and we will come along."

"That's great! But…I don't know if Appa will be able to carry us all back to the Fire Nation."

"Don't you worry about that, just show me on a map where we need to be, and we'll get there. You forget we have a navy Sokka."

* * *

"You were really great in there Sokka. You're a great strategist."

"Hah! Always the tone of surprise!" His look of mock hurt was quickly melted into a smile as he pulled Suki a bit closer, her arms hugging one of his as they strolled side by side.

"You know…I've never been in a Water Nation capital before…does your home look like this too? It's incredible."

"Weell….you've seen one block of ice, you've seen them all. But no, the South Pole is smaller. Gran Gran said it used to be different, before the Fire Nation wiped out the rest of the water benders. But Pakku was supposed to go down there and help out, so who knows."

Their stroll came to a pause as Sokka realized they were on an all too familiar bridge. Suki's gaze was the first up to the moon.

"She really is a beautiful moon…."

"Yea…"

"Thank you, for taking care of Sokka for me when we were apart." Suki spoke to the glowing orb, squeezing Sokka's hand. "I'm sorry we never got to meet, but I just wanted you to know how grateful I am."

Sokka stared at his girlfriend, mouth slightly agape at her words. Reaching out he softly brushed a small strand of hair from her face, his hand coming to rest against her cheek.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" Suki smirked at Sokka's question, poking him playfully in the chest.

"You might have mentioned it a few times."

The two stayed in an embrace for a few silent moments, Sokka's chin resting atop Suki's head before he spoke again.

"So I was thinking…ya know, after the war and all, you should come to the South Pole-uh-with me. You could meet Gran Gran! And you know…see the South Pole? With me?"

"Sokka?" She pulled away slightly to better look at him, eyes meeting his.

"I mean, you don't have to! If you don't want to I mean! I mean- uh- if you _do_ want to, that'd be great! But…I mean if you didn't-" He was silenced as lips met his, arms wrapping around his neck. After a sweet moment she pulled back, forehead resting against his.

"You talk too much."

"Hah! You can actually get a girl to kiss you?" at the sound of the voice behind them their kiss ended, Sokka turning towards its source.

"Hahn…" he made to move protectively in front of Suki, her head peeking out over his shoulder at the other warrior. The young man stood before them, leaning against the railing with a smug smile playing on his face. By his change of clothing it was clear to Sokka that Hahn had been removed of his duties as one of the Water Tribe warriors. Hahn's gaze turned to Suki, nodding in acknowledgement to her.

"How ya doin' there, beautiful? I'm Hahn. How about you hang with a real man?"

"I hope you're not talking about yourself." Suki glared over Sokka's shoulder as his hand came to a rest on his sword.

"Ooh…this one's got a mouth on her, huh Sokka? You sure know how to pick 'em."

"Why don't you just get out of here Hahn."

"You're not still gonna try and tell me what to do are you? Cause we all know how well that worked out the last time." Sokka made to charge towards Hahn, fully intent on beating his smirk from his face, but was stopped as a hand grabbed his own, Suki's voice calling out to him.

"Sokka! Come on, let's just go. He's not worth it."

"…Yea…yea you're right." As the couple turned to head towards the inn in which they would be staying, Hahn continued to stand there, face as smug as ever.

"Yea, you might as well. There's no way you could win against me. Just run along with your weak little girlfriend."

_CRACK_

Within seconds Suki had turned around, pulling her fans from her belt, and flipping Hahn over cleanly on his back. He stared up at her, out of breath and panting.

"Still think I'm weak? Word of warning _Hahn_, _never_ provoke a Kyoshi Warrior." With that she turned quickly on her heel, threading her arm through Sokkas as they walked away, Sokka laughing out loud.

"I knew I made the right choice in a girlfriend! Super Suki! Kakapow!"

"Alright tough guy, let's just get inside."

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

Katara strolled out to the deck of the ship, stopping to stand next to her father at the railing.

"Strange, isn't it? Going back after all this time?"

"It will be nice to be home again. It's just too bad it won't be for long."

"But that's the good thing about home…you can always go back. What about you though? After this war is over? You seem pretty attached to Zuko." He nudged his daughter, smiling down to her. The Fire Bender in question was currently fast asleep downstairs. Katara blushed deeply, looking down.

"I guess I hadn't really thought about it yet… I'm sure the world will still need our help after the war is over. And I wouldn't be totally opposed to living in the Fire Nation."

"My little girl…you are grown up, aren't you?"

"I'm not so little anymore Dad." As Katara smiled at her father he gathered her up in a hug, kissing the top of her head.

"I keep forgetting. I'm going to go to bed now; I suggest you do the same. We should be home by tomorrow."

As he left her alone to her thoughts, Katara watched over the horizon, contemplating what the future could hold, and a certain Fire Nation Prince asleep downstairs.

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**So new chapters within the next couple of weeks are a maybe. It's almost Christmas, and right after the holiday my tonsils are coming out, so I really don't know how coherent I will be the week after that. So, if we don't see each other until next year, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year! :D And remember…one of the best Christmas presents you can give is the gift of reviews and more readers for your writer: D. **


	36. Chapter 34 The Bonds That Grow Ever Stro

**I know.. I know I say it all the time… but I really am sorry I took so long! I've been sooooo busy with school and work. And well; quite honestly I also ran out of ideas for this story. I'll get bits and pieces but can't actually form a full chapter :/ **

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**Chapter 34 – The Bonds That Grow Ever Stronger**

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"Is it always so cold here?" Zuko shivered once again, wrapping his arms tighter around himself. He felt himself very lucky that Hakoda had given him the thick fur coat to wear, but still could not seem to get warm. Something in the back of his head that sounded oddly like his uncle told him to use his breath of life, but he did not want to look weak to anyone, especially anyone from the South Pole. He knew he couldn't erase what had been done to Katara's homeland. Just the thought of first meeting her grandmother still made his stomach twist.

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_ They had just docked their boat, a group of young teen boys helping to tie it off. The ramp was barely set in place before Katara practically leapt off and into her grandmother's arms; Hakoda followed next, while Zuko hung back, feeling extremely uncomfortable. _

_ "Ahhh…so this is Zuko, is it? The crown prince of the fire nation?" Zuko took a deep breath before bowing respectfully before the elderly woman. He felt her gaze on him like a lion-vulture."The last time you were here, you melted half our homes. Now here you are, spokesman for the Avatar…hero and protector of my granddaughter…. And a welcome guest to the Southern Water Tribe." _

_ Zuko nearly choked at her words, staring open mouth at the elderly woman. She had just called him a welcome guest, accepted him into the island, and as a part of her granddaughter's life. _

_ "It's a pleasure to meet you." He bowed his head once more, feeling the silence closing in on him. He couldn't take it any longer and straightened out, looking to Katara and her grandmother once more. Kanna stayed silent a moment before promptly elbowing her granddaughter in the ribs. _

_ "You're right; he's not all that bad looking at all. A fine choice Katara." She gave a sly wink to Zuko before walking away, leaving a blushing teen practically melting the snow beneath his boots behind them as she lead Katara inside. _

_ The following day had been spent talking Pakku into coming back with them, which turned out to be a very easy feat indeed. The elderly man was more than happy to help his favorite pupil and now granddaughter. He had spent all his time since last seeing Katara rebuilding his relationship with Kanna before Kanna had finally agreed to marry him, and then helped to rebuild the South Pole. Now the island had sturdier homes than before, tall and strong watchtowers, and a large meeting center. He was proud of his work so far, but knew that he would need more help if the South Pole were to ever return to its prior glory. _

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Now Zuko found himself standing outside, staring at the ship they were due to leave in in a day's time, shivering in the cold.

"Aww what's the matter? Can't handle a little snow?" Katara smirked as she slowly walked behind Zuko and, before he realized what was happening, landed a perfectly aimed snowball into the back of his hooded head. Zuko lost his restraint as he sighed deeply, the heat of his body rising to evaporate the quickly melting snow. Without any warning, he bent down and formed his own snowball, throwing it back in retaliation. Their game quickly lead into a chase, leading them down an icy bank and to another shore of the island. Katara had tackled Zuko, sending them sliding down the hill and stopping just before the water. It was quiet and deserted, the moon and a few penguins their only company. Their laughing slowed, as Zuko helped Katara to her feet, Katara resting into Zuko's side as they stared ahead at the moon. Zuko dug his hands deep into his pockets of his coat, Katara threading one of her arms through his. Their silence seemed to stretch on before Katara broke it.

"I guess we really leave tomorrow, huh?"

"Y-yea…" Zuko looked down a moment before clearing his throat.

"It's been nice, seeing my grandmother and Pakku. But I guess it's really time we head back. We can't put this battle off any longer. "

"Yea.."

"And the sooner we finish it, the better. It just makes me sick thinking of Azula and y-your father taking any more innocent lives, destroying any more homes. And the sooner it's all over, the sooner I can stop worrying."

"Katara-there's…there's something I need to talk to you about."

"What is it Zuko?" she turned to him, looking up towards his face.

"I know I shouldn't worry, but I just can't help but do just that. And I just keep thinking, what if something happens? What if one of us doesn't come back? And I've been doing a lot of thinking and I know that I couldn't go on, living or dying, without knowing what you'd say." He paused a moment, taking a deep breath before launching into a rather quick speech. "Katara…I love you. You have changed me in so many ways, for the better. You always say that I saved you the night you washed up on that island, but in all reality, it was really you that saved me. You saved me from myself, and I could never thank you enough. You mean so much to me Katara, and live or die; I just wanted you to know that. And…I needed to ask you myself, to know your answer…will you marry me?" Slowly Zuko's hand came from his pocket, hands unfolding to reveal a gorgeous necklace. He hadn't really realized till now that he hadn't taken a single breath during his proposal, and know felt as if he had forgotten how to breathe all together. Katara's hand slowly drifted to the stone hanging in front of her, gently touching it to see it better in the moon's rays. It was apparently something Zuko had spent a great amount of time working on, a deep blue stone inset with the water and fire signs intertwining, hanging from a deep red ribbon of silk. She felt the tears prickling her eyes as she looked from the pendant to the person she had grown to love so much. It's not that Katara didn't want to get married, but rather that she had never actually seen it happening. She quickly realized she had yet to give him an answer, and could just barely squeeze out a nod and a quiet "yes" as she brushed a tear from her eyes.

"Yes?" Zuko took a step forward, afraid he might have heard her wrong.

"Yes, I will!" Katara leapt forward, wrapping her arms around Zuko's neck. His own arms wrapped around her back and he let out a whoop of joy, spinning her in circles as her feet left the ground, his own smile nearly splitting his face. When he finally returned her to her feet, he gingerly held out the necklace in a wordless effort to ask permission to place the betrothal necklace around Katara's slender neck. She sniffled, nodding gently as she turned and pulled her hair aside, granting him access to her neck. She both felt and heard the clasp snap into place, feeling the stone settle on her neck alongside her mother's.

"You're really serious?" Katara smiled to Zuko as she turned to look at him once more, seeing his own grin mirroring back at her.

"As serious as I've ever been. I know we're still young, but I can't go into this battle without knowing whether or not we would have had a future."

"You talk like we're going to die." Katara turned her gaze downward.

"It's not impossible Katara. Azula and my father are both blood thirsty and insane. I just- I had to know." Zuko wrapped his arms around Katara, bringing her close to him.

"We have to tell my father."

"He already knows. I spoke to him _and_ Sokka a while ago."

"Hah…so that's why he was bugging me on the ship that night."

"What?"

"Oh-it's nothing. We should probably… get to bed. It's late and we have to leave pretty early tomorrow."

….

**I know… I know..it's awful! I just wanted to pound out this chapter. The proposal has been bouncing around in my mind for quite some time now! I promise though…the long awaited battle is fast approaching! And I promise…it will be epic! **

**Thank you to my ever faithful readers! :D **


	37. Chapter 35 The Final Battle Part 1

**Hark! What's this! That's riiighht…. It's THE FINAL BATTLE! (well… part 1 of it anyway) I hope you all enjoy it! **

* * *

**Chapter 35 – The Final Battle. Part 1**

* * *

The moon shone down brightly on the Fire Nation palace, completely deserted save for a few guards standing outside each entrance. From high above, on one of the surveillance walls, Katara, Zuko and Bato hid in the shadows. Along the other side, Aang, Toph and Hakoda stayed hidden in their own set of shadows. The guards that should have been responsible for the night watch on the wall were instead knocked out and tied into a large group with tight knots. Down below, one of the guards had just barely started to yawn before he was yanked away into the darkness. His fellow co-guard couldn't even turn his head all the way before he too was yanked away. Two soft thuds could be heard and then a low whistle, which signaled to those above that Suki and Sokka had succeeded in knocking out the guards and tying them up as well.

"So far…so good." Katara whispered.

So far their plan was going exactly as planned. It was just barely a week after everyone had reconvened in the original meeting place, and now they were invading. If everything went as planned, the Gaang would sneak in under the cover of night, taking out the guards on the walls first, before taking care of the few down below. So far, it was exactly as Iroh had described. Then, if Step One had succeeded, they would let in the rest of their ever growing group through the gates and over take the Fire Lord's home. Aang would go for the Fire Lord, alone as he insisted, while Zuko and Katara took care of Azula. As for the rest of the group, they were to fight off the firestorm of guards that was sure to come.

But for now, our friends continued to stand watch atop their hiding place, ready for the guard change Iroh had told them would come. The walls would be fine, these men stayed on all night, the ones below however, shifted every few hours, moving from one side to the next.

"Just a little further…" Katara murmured quietly as the next two guards marched their way to their post.

"Strange…shouldn't we have passed the other two by now?"

"Hah! They probably snuck off and took naps. Bunch of good for nothing, lazy-" his sentence was cut off as he was hit over the head with something very hard, knocking him out instantly, his friend soon following in the same manner.

* * *

The doors were kicked in with the great force of earth being thrown against them, the echo of sound sure to awake all that were in the palace. Barely a minute had passed before the troops came rushing out of the palace, heading for the invading group.

"Let's go!" Zuko tugged on Katara's hand, waving to Aang to get going as well. Aang turned to watch as the rest of their invasion force rushed through the doors. Water and Earth nations alike, as well as Iroh, hurried through, the battle beginning in a flurry of elements.

Aang, and Zuko and Katara broke off as they entered the building, headed off towards their respective enemy. Aang grew nervous the closer he got to where he knew the Fire Lord would be, noticing the deathly silence that surrounded him. It was quiet… too quiet. He entered the room cautiously, keeping his ears and eyes open. Before he had another chance to move a giant fireball landed just inches from his feet, sending him jumping backwards.

* * *

"Well Hello Zuzu…" the voice rang out through the silence as Katara and Zuko entered the courtyard. They wheeled around, searching for its owner in the dark. "How nice of you to come…you know for a second there I almost thought you wouldn't." in a flash of light the lanterns circling the arena they stood in lit up, illuminating the area.

"Azula." Zuko's voice was sharp as he glared at his sister. She had placed herself atop the beams over a row of seats on the edge of the arena, smirking at her enemies.

"and you've brought your little girlfriend, how sweet. Now the two of you can die together." With an evil glint in her eyes, Azula leapt from where she stood, flipping before she landed on the solid ground just feet away from her brother and Katara. She cast the first attack, Zuko blocking the blue flames that raced their way.

* * *

"Well well well…it's the ever elusive Avatar, come to defeat the Fire Lord."

Aang whipped around to face the menacing figure perched upon his throne, flames flickering behind him.

"It's quite the little party you've brought along with you. How does it make you feel…to know that everyone will die…just for you to die along with them?" he threw out another attack, Aang back flipping away from the flames.

"Hah! Too cowardly to fight back? Perfect…it will make it all the easier!" He stood from his throne, stalking towards Aang.

He threw attack after attack after Aang, who continuously backed away, throwing up defenses of earth and air. He took advantage of the few seconds he had of the Fire Lord regaining his footing from Aang's most recent air attack and kicked his foot forwards, sending the ground into ripples. The Fire Lord merely stumbled, laughing evilly.

"Is that the best you can do? I expected more from the Avatar."

"_Think Aang… remember everything you've been taught up until now."_ He took a deep breath, slamming his hands down and then punched forwards, sending shards of glass at his enemy. The volley of rock and flame continued. The Fire Lord growled, sending a wave of flame at Aang, throwing the boy backwards. Aang skidded on the ground on his back, slowing to a stop. He opened his eyes up groggily, seeing the Fire Lord stalking towards him once more. Thinking fast he encased himself in an armor of rock, the mound completely protecting his body, giving him room to sit, his head brushing the top of his tiny cave. He both heard and felt the rumble of fire as it descended on his protection.

* * *

**Cliff hanger! Much like the show, this particular part of my story will come in a couple parts. Why? You ask… because it if didn't it would honestly be about a 10page long chapter! **


	38. Chapter 35 The Final Battle Part 2

**Yes I know.. it's been forever! I'm sorry! I have pretty much been working every day, and although I will literally write the chapters in my head at work, by the time I get home I'm so tired I either forget what I've come up with or so tired I just fall asleep and don't get to write! I sincerely hope you all like this chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 35 – The Final Battle. Part 2**

* * *

All around them the battle raged on. Toph sent yet another group of fire nation soldiers sky bound, a level of earth underneath their feet. Sokka and Piandao were locked in their own battle of swords with another group, while the rest battled off all the on-comers that had flooded the courtyard.

The battle went very much the same for Zuko, Katara and Azula. Though very much between Zuko and Azula, Katara got in many good shots of her own, and took a few from Azula as well. Shot after shot was exchanged, and as their battle continued, Azula grew more clumsy… more crazy… as if she were losing her mind. Zuko shot a well aimed attack, just barely clipping her ankle as she tripped out of the way. Azula gave a crazed laugh, her normally well combed hair wafting around her face.

"What's the matter big brother? Getting tired so soon?" She threw her hands out, sending a wild attack of lightning once more. Katara and Zuko dove either direction out of the way, a crack forming along the marble floor.

* * *

"Come out, come out Avatar!" the fire lord sent down crash after crash of fire onto Aang's protection, emphasizing his words with every hit.

"I'm going to kill every one of your little friends Avatar, all while you're hiding like a coward. I'll kill that pitiful boy with the swords… and the water bender, my lazy brother, and even that little earth bender…" Aang's eyes shot wide at his comment…blood roaring in his ears at the fire lord continued on. "…they'll all be gone. Even Azula will be of no use to me anymore. And then, I'll come back for you Avatar. I'll let you look upon the bodies of those you were to cowardly to save, and then I'll finish you-" With a burst of air and rock Aang's protection burst open as he shot up into the air, eyes and tattoos glowing violently.

His voice was a mixture of many as he bellowed down at the fire lord, who for once was actually cowering backwards. "You would dare to kill your own family? Those who have stood by you? The only coward here is you, _Fire_ _Lord._" A torrent of rock, water, fire and air hailed down upon the Fire Lord, who used his own attack of fire to shield himself before retaliating back. Fire met fire midair as Aang's wind kept him aloft, the force sending both adversaries back a few good feet. Aang had finally turned the tables, sending the Fire Lord backwards, ever closer to the wall of stone. Even his most strong attacks, although now weakening from the long battle, were nowhere near enough to gain an edge on the Avatar, and the Fire Lord knew it. He lifted his hands up as another torrent of mixed elements rained down upon him in a tsunami of force.

* * *

"It's a shame I have to kill you brother. You would have made a great asset to our kingdom." Azula stumbled more as she threw out more wild attacks, each one more off than the last. She was tossed to the side as Katara shot another attack of water at her, gathering more from the ground as soon as the Princess fell. Azula climbed unsteadily to her feet, throwing more attacks at Katara, one of which would have caught her square in the chest had Zuko not jumped out in front of her to redirect her lightning, the bolt diminishing into the sky. In the same moment Katara had taken the opportunity to freeze the water around Azula's ankles, anchoring her to the ground. Azula yelled in rage as she attempted to pull her feet out, Katara freezing more water.

"Give up Azula. You've lost." Zuko's voice was steady as he called cross to his sister. In a moment of complete miscalculation on Azula's reaction to stand and pant heavily Zuko turned his attention to Katara, giving her a once over. "Are you okay?"

"Fine.." she wiped the sweat from her brown as Zuko turned, intent on taking a length of chain lying about on the floor to shackle his sister when a scream reached his ears. Everything happened so quickly he could hardly realize just what had happened. Azula began to move her arms, gathering a large attack of lightning, set on aiming it straight into Zuko's back, and by means of way, his heart. Katara, in a split second decision she could hardly even feel was her own mind and rather her body acting of its own accord, shot out her hands, freezing Azula in her place. The lips that had once been a maniacal laugh were turning down into fear as she slowly realized she could no longer move her own body.

Azula glared at Katara, their eyes locking as Azula let out a feral growl.

"You-little-peasant!" she grunted in frustration, as if trying to move against her own body, and Katara moved her hands again, leading Azula down to the ground. The princess had so fully exerted herself, and lost such a grip on reality that Katara could even feel it through her blood. Zuko took this opportunity to rush over to the curled up figure on the ground, chaining her arms behind her back, moving to chain her legs in the same fashion. He stood and backed up as soon as he had finished, placing a hand on Katara's shoulder. She kept her gaze on Azula, sizing up the entire situation, feeling for any chance of the girl regaining her strength before lowering her hands and slumping her shoulders forward. She turned her gaze to Zuko who wrapped her into a fierce hug, his face buried into her hair, almost muffling his relieved whisper.

"Thank you."

* * *

The roar of wind and fire died suddenly, making everything seem that much more quiet. The Fire Lord had been backed into the wall with great force, slumping down with what was sure to be a set of broken ribs. And as quickly as he gained sense of the deafening silence, the Avatar was upon him, a hand each placed upon his forehead and chest. In a feeling unlike any other sensation he had ever felt before, he suddenly felt empty. Aang had backed up and the Fire Lord attempted a shot forward, only to have nothing happen at all.

"What have you done to me?"

"I've taken away your bending. You won't be able to hurt anybody anymore Fire Lord Ozai." Aang's tattoos had faded, his eyes their normal grey once more. The look he gave the man was not even one of pure hatred, but rather of a stern warning. One look into those piercing eyes and the Fire Lord saw all the years of wisdom from centuries of Avatars. In one last exhausted growl he attempted to lunge forward, only to find himself falling forward, the world turning black before he even hit the ground.

* * *

Their numbers had been quite lucky indeed to lose no lives. Injuries yes, members no. The fire benders were not so lucky. Sokka had either arm slumped around Suki and Toph's shoulders, clearly favoring one of his legs. Zuko and Katara had just barely approached them when Zuko, and then Katara was swept into a tight hug from Iroh. He held onto Zuko the longest, Katara having slipped away to hug her father. The old man clearly was not planning to let Zuko out of his sight until he was sure he was completely alright. He moved to grip Zuko's shoulders, a proud twinkle in his eyes.

"I am more proud of you than I have ever been before Zuko…you will make a great leader." He pulled him into a hug once more, his sentimental whisper barely audible to any but Zuko. "I am glad you are safe…I consider you my own son and I couldn't bear to think of something happening to you."

..

Everyone was clearly burnt and bruised, the smell of burnt hair and cloth lingering through the air. As brother met sister, children met parent, and friend met friend in embrace, a breath of relief could be heard throughout the area. A rush of wind came from above as Aang landed softly among the group, Toph being the first to shove her way through, leaving Sokka to lean more on Suki for support, and wrapping Aang in an all too tight hug. Katara and Zuko approached tentatively, Katara's voice quiet as she looked to her friend.

"Is it done?.."

"Yea." Aang nodded, hugging Katara next. He was quiet for a moment, looking down, as he felt unsure before turning his gaze back to Zuko. "I took his bending away. He will never hurt anyone again." Aang gasped in surprise as Zuko moved forward to give him a hug, voicing his thanks.

* * *

It was just barely nearing sunrise as Katara walked out to the beach, seeing the shadow that was Zuko kneeling in the sand of the short. She slowly made her way over to Zuko, standing directly in front of him. She placed a gentle hand on his head and he looked up at her with tear soaked eyes, his face shining in the dim light. He pulled her down into a hug, Katara's own arms wrapping around him as she rested her head on top of his, allowing him to sob into her clothes. She felt tears prickle her own eyes as he continued to cry.

To cry for his sister and father and the battle that was over; to cry for the many who had lost their lives under the reign of his father; to cry that Katara had used the very power that she so hated; to cry that his uncle and the rest of his friends, or rather family now had survived; and to cry that the one thing he loved most in the world, was safe.

* * *

**The battle… is over! Well at least that one any way haha. Now we just have to get the rest of the world to like the Fire Nation again… and vice versa. I really hope you all liked this chapter! RxR :)  
**


	39. Chapter 36 The Start of a New World

**And so here we are. The final chapter. I hope that I don't disappoint. I can't thank you all enough for your amazing support and your fantastic reviews and comments. I hope you all enjoy and continue to stick by for more stories :) ENJOY!**

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**Chapter 36 - The Start of a New World**

* * *

Zuko inhaled deeply, attempting to calm his nerves as he peeked out from his window and over to the crowd of spectators waiting for his speech. Now that the war was finally over, and his father and sister rightfully in prison, it was time for Zuko to take his rightful place as Fire Lord, and to help the Nations to reconnect.

"Nervous?"

Zuko turned to the voice coming from his door, seeing Sokka leaning there, using a crutch for support.

"Hah, is it that obvious?"

"Nah…not at all. Ya know, unless you count the fact that your face is practically green and pale at the same time. Or you know…pale for you." He smirked at his friend, making his way over to look out the window as well.

"How's Katara holding up?" Zuko looked to Sokka who shrugged in reply.

"You know how she gets. Frantic as always."

Zuko smirked in response, straightening out his shirtfront once more. Sokka reached out, clapping Zuko's shoulder.

"You're gonna be great you know."

"Thanks. ..I'm glad to know I'm not a jerk-bender anymore."

"Oh no, you're still a jerk bender. Now you're just a jerk-bender that's gonna become my brother."

The two shared a good laugh, Zuko finally looking outside once more, resolving in what was to come next.

"I guess I'd better get out there and become Fire Lord, huh?"

* * *

Zuko stepped out into the sunlight that shone down onto the landing he stood upon. Below him stretched out a crowd of hundreds, all looking up at him expectantly. For the first time in many years that Iroh could remember, the many different Nations stood, co-mingled, the air thick with excitement, and all at the same time, a peaceful calm. Behind Zuko stood the friends that had been with him through it all, that had become family along the way. Katara, Aang, Toph, Sokka and Suki, and Iroh, the only man who had ever truly treated him like a son. With an encouraging smile from his uncle, Zuko turned his gaze back to the crowd, his eyes scanning over them, meeting the gazes of those he knew, and of those he didn't.

"I thank you, one and all, for joining in on this gathering today. Today is not just my coronation as Fire Lord, but the first day of the start of a new world. For years we have all suffered under a reign of terror and injustice. I'm not saying that it will be easy, and I'm not saying that it won't take a long time and a lot of hard work, but I want to bring this world from its darkness, and into one of happiness and peace. Of friendship and love. And I ask you all to help me. Together, we can rebuild this world!" Zuko paused as the crowd in front of him cheered in response.

"I had a great deal of help from my good friends behind me. The Avatar had once been my one goal, what I thought was my one and only way to get my honor back. And then I realized that by helping him to right the world I would get my honor back. Therefore, it was with him, and the rest you all see here, that my father and sister were defeated. It is with their help that this new world can start. We will all need to work together, to be more understanding and accepting. And I ask you first, to start with this brave young woman right here." He motioned to Katara who blushed furiously as she approached him, standing by his side to bow her head respectfully to the crowd.

"Master Katara of the Water Tribe is one of my brave friends that aided in helping to bring down my sister. She is strong and brave, and as such, is to become co-ambassadors with her brother, who one day shall become chief of the Southern Water Tribe, to continue to bring peace between our land and hers. I ask you, to not only accept her for that, but also as your future Fire Lady." For the second time Katara's face turned bright red, the smile growing on her lips as the crowd's applause grew. Sokka gave Suki's hand a squeeze, glancing over at her to share a smile. He felt a great pride in knowing that not only would their marriage join them together as two, but their nations together as well, and in effect, the fire nation as well. He was reluctant to take his gaze from hers as Zuko continued to speak.

"I cannot do this all alone, and so my uncle will act as my guide and mentor until I am old enough to take the full responsibility that comes with being Fire Lord. So let us begin our new world today, together, unified!"

And with an even louder cheer, Zuko took to kneeling, bowing his head in respect and vow as his uncle placed his symbol of Fire Lord into his hair, his coronation complete.

* * *

**_Epilogue_**

****  
Three peaceful months had passed for the group. Meetings and positions had been arranged, Sokka and Suki had finally married in a beautiful ceremony on the shores of Kyoshi Island, and progress was made every day in bringing the four nations together. There were, as to be expected, those who were reluctant in banding together. Those who still hated one another due to long-ago practiced prejudices. But no one could deny the air of peace that had settled itself into the atmosphere.

It was a particularly beautiful day that found the Gaang and Uncle sitting near the turtle-duck pond, enjoying sandwiches and tea.

"We're making progress…slowly. I feel like there's just more that we could do." Aang spoke out, his grey eyes turning to each of his friends.

"A river cannot move a mountain in a day."

"My uncle is right. It's going to take a lot of work to get everyone to stop being so stubborn and fully accept one another."

"Ya know it couldn't hurt to show everyone that they can trust the fire nation."

"Sokka!" Katara slapped her brother across the back of his head, ready to yell at him when Zuko's voice cut through.

"He's right. We need to start somewhere. Why not start with getting them to trust the one nation that started all of this?"

"Does this mean what I think it means?" Toph perked up, practically quivering in anticipation.

"I think I smell an adventure!" Suki smiled as well, excited at the prospect.

"More traveling? I was just getting used to being in one place!" Sokka dropped onto his back dramatically.

"Well, too bad for you! We're going!" Suki stood and gave him a swift kick to his bottom, the rest of the group jumping to their feet as well.

"This isn't going to be easy you know." Aang spoke, looking to everyone.

"Has anything really ever been easy for us?" Sokka replied, slinging an arm around Suki's shoulders.

"Of course not, but that's what makes it an adventure!" Suki chuckled.

"Stop being so lame Snoozles!"

"Well, we should really start planning then if we're going to be traveling around the world again."

"We can take it a little at a time. I still have a nation to run after all. And a girl to marry." Zuko nudged Katara, who beamed up to him. If she were to be totally honest, there had been a minute there that she had feared he had forgotten about getting married all together. She knew, of course that she was being silly, but it was still a valid fear. Zuko took her hand, giving it a squeeze.

"What better way to join nations, than for the two nations who battled the hardest to join in a marriage?"

"Spoken like a true leader nephew. I have no doubts at all that you will do great things. I, of course, can handle business while you're away."

"Thank you Uncle." Zuko moved to hug Iroh, Toph's voice breaking them apart.

"So…adventure?" Aang nodded to her, his grey eyes sparkling.

"A new adventure!"

"We'd just better bring some meat!"

Iroh raised his cup of tea, the others following suit.

"To a new adventure!"

_**The End**_

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**WHEW! It's been a long, hard road! But we made it! The end! But don't think that just because it's the end of this story that it's the end of our adventure. Inspiration hit me hard the other day! And a book two is coming your way! Thanks for sticking by! RxR :)  
**


	40. Author's Note

Hello all!

First off, just let me say a giant **THANK YOU** to everyone who has read, and still reads this story! I love getting new reviews and adds on this story! It all really means a lot to me guys and I say thank you! (that may sound silly, it is fanfic after all, but seriously, as a writer it is really appreciated to know that what I have written is appreciated and liked.)

Also, I just wanted to let everyone know that I have been slowly editing and revising all the chapters. I started this story nearly 6 years ago, when my writing really was not the strongest. I feel it is only right to go back and fix things because this story deserves it!

Now I'm not saying you have to, but if you so desire, keep an eye out and go back and enjoy the newly fixed chapters. I didn't change the story line, I just fixed up the flow, the disgusting obsession I had with the word lightly (please someone go back in time and slap teenager me) and added a few details here and there.

So there ya go! Edited and revised chapters! They're not all finished yet, as I do have other stories and life is keeping me busy, but as I get the chance I do fix a few chapters at a time.

Have a swell holiday season all and a Happy New Year! :)


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